The top goal for any retail business is to not only understand target customers, but also create differentiated marketing and service experiences.
Preliminary results from a new survey executed by Yes Lifecycle Marketing spotlights how retailers across categories are using clienteling tactics to better connect with customers across channels. With pureplay eTailers dominating a larger share of the retail market, omnichannel retailers are using their stores to build relationships and stand out from the competition.
To engage customers during the browsing and buying journey, 78% of retailers said associates simply provide face-to-face service in the store. Although this traditional component remains ever-present and important, retailers also are embracing new service and engagement tactics, such as social media customer service (35%), in-store styling and consulting services (30%) and online chat/texting (25%).
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After consumers exit a store, associates are encouraged to continue the conversation. For example, some associates answer social media posts (33%), while others send emails before and after in-store visits (30%), or share news and answer questions via chat, email or text (30%).
Retailers that have implemented an omnichannel clienteling strategy have realized numerous perks, including:
- More engaged customers (63%);
- Increased sales (56%); and
- Improved customer loyalty (44%).
Data is the foundation of any successful clienteling strategy. Although 55% of respondents said they only have consumers’ email addresses on file, others are capturing a greater variety of data points, including: Phone number (73%),purchase history (65%) andaddress (60%).
However, only 20% of respondents said they have loyalty club information on file and even fewer respondents (15%) have data regarding their customers’ shopping preferences, such as preferred size, silhouettes or colors. This is leaving retailers’ customer profiles somewhat blurry.
Want to learn more about this survey and how you can use clienteling to improve bottom-line results? Visit Yes Lifecycle Marketing at CRMC in the Partner/Platinum Sponsor Conversation Lounge in the Normandie Lounge.
