Category: Marketing

3 effective digital marketing strategies to increase brand awareness

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3 effective digital marketing strategies to increase brand awareness

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Digital marketing is an effective way to drive and increase brand awareness—for many reasons. By implementing digital marketing strategies to increase brand awareness, brands and retailers: 

  • Meet shoppers where they are: Americans spend over 12 hours a day interacting with digital media, be it radio, TV, laptops, and mobile phones. Reliance on foot traffic and in-person interactions can only go so far. Without a robust digital presence, it will likely be difficult to sustain a reasonable amount of growth.
  • Engage early: Many shoppers have admitted to doing research digitally at home long before they head to a store to make a purchase. Search terms that include the word “brand”—such as “beauty brands,” “best purse brands,” and “men’s watch brands”—are among the most frequently searched. Consumers are also using location-based search queries like “pizza near me” or “toy stores near me” to help them plan their in-store trips. And, 52% of shoppers are using mobile devices while in stores to narrow down their purchase options. 
  • Enhance the customer experience: It’s important for brands to have a social media presence. These days, many consumers use social media to research and communicate with brands. Brand interactions happen in real-time, so it’s important to take the opportunity to connect, whether it’s with an already loyal customer or someone entirely new. 
  • Target the right audiences: The digital sphere allows brands to hit every target with a different hyper-focused, personalized campaign, not to mention connect with people all along the purchase journey—even those who are just starting to get familiar with a brand. Outlining products and services, as well as company history, mission, and values is a great way to entice firstcomers. 
  • Remain flexible and responsive: If an in-store display isn’t converting as well as hoped, it could take hours, days, or even months to alter the plan. On the other hand, digital marketers can make real-time changes immediately if they notice customers bouncing off the website or complaining on social media, for example. 

Search Engine Optimization, content marketing, Pay Per Click advertising, social media marketing, and press releases are still relevant ways of reaching new customers; but this guide focuses on the effectiveness of cross-channel brand storytelling, combined with some of the more exciting, breakthrough digital marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and create a buzz. 

3 Digital Marketing Strategies to Increase Brand Awareness

1. Cross-Channel Brand Storytelling

To build a digital brand, you’ll use various channels: your company website, a blog, social media, email subscriber lists, video channels, and mobile apps. Making sure your brand’s story is consistent across your various digital channels is an important first step in strengthening brand awareness.

Today’s digital-savvy consumers routinely switch between channels before making a purchase—much different from a decade ago. The demand for multi-channel shopping experiences is an undeniable and irreversible trend.

What does it take to build a strong brand story to tell across channels for better awareness?

  • Being authentic: Listening to customers, prospects, and employees about what motivated them to choose your brand can tell you a lot. Take a look at the competition to consider what you do better and what marketplace trends exist. Think about why your company was started and how your brand has modernized over the years. In order for a company to have a strong narrative, it needs to take a clear stance on a particular problem it intends to solve and be 100% transparent about how it will achieve this solution. 
  • Answering questions: Early in the sales funnel, you want to focus on answering questions like: Who are you and what do you value? Why should I care about what you have to offer? What are the potential outcomes for me if I act or don’t act? Initial interactions should be informal, easily skimmable, and not overly salesy. On social media, you want to attract attention and solicit shares with content that is intriguing, useful, and emotion-evoking, whether it’s funny, clever, or heart-warming. 
  • Working together: Don’t work in silos. All parties working on a project should have regular conversations—monthly, at a minimum. Work out campaign messaging to align with particular goals. The stories and technical information shared should be universal across platforms to build authenticity and trust. Sure, your message on Twitter will be short and sweet, while the corresponding message on YouTube may be more visual and your blog’s content may be more in-depth. But no matter what, you should have similar colors, images, voice, and talking points. 
  • Consistent SEO: Google will connect information about your brand pulled from various sources across the internet. The “Knowledge Graph,” as it’s called, benefits from consistent Search Engine Optimization efforts from digital channel to digital channel. Any discrepancies could hurt your search visibility—while a consistent keyword strategy will be beneficial, connecting traffic to your site.

2. Mobile Communications

Mobile communications can be delivered via email, SMS/text, your custom-developed app, and mobile websites. The ability to connect with people in real-time, when they are closest to making a final purchase decision, is a tremendous asset.

App-based marketing allows you the ability to leverage:

  • in-store search, scan, and mapping
  • buy online, pick up in-store offers
  • mobile ordering for out-of-stock items
  • real-time status updates for orders

Having your own mobile app can boost sales 15%, but who says you have to stop there? You can also partner with a third-party shopping app like Shopkick to expand your reach.

In-App Video

Video is an excellent storytelling medium where, in a relatively short amount of time, you can capture audience interest, sway emotions, and demonstrate your unique selling proposition. 

There are many ways to use video in-app:

  • Show your product in action.
  • Deliver a tutorial for a soft sell.
  • Feature customer testimonials.
  • Entertain with product use ideas.
  • Tell a story from start to finish.

In one case study, pasta maker Barilla saw a 66% lift in brand awareness for their no-boil pasta. Fifty-percent of shoppers who viewed Barilla’s in-app video converted to a purchase. 

Proximity Marketing

Location-based marketing using beacons and text or in-app messaging allows marketers to reach consumers when they’re near a product or location. When mobile customers search using the phrase “near me,” they can connect with your brand in real-time.

Shopkick is a rewards-based proximity marketing program that uses points—known as “kicks”—to encourage store visits, purchases, and product engagement. Users can log into the app to see nearby kick offers from partnering brands and retailers. These interactions drive sales and brand recall, while providing actionable insights into consumer behavior.

Mobile Rewards

Shopkick users are attracted to the mobile shopping app because it offers them rewards for shopping—something they likely do regularly. The goal is to encourage members to visit partner stores and check out partner brands. They earn points by viewing curated content like lookbooks and in-app videos, by locating and scanning products at-shelf, and by making desired purchases. Shoppers redeem their points for gift cards, so you preserve value, since you’re not using coupons or discounts. 

The incentives offered by Shopkick truly help brands boost awareness and consideration at each stage along the path to purchase.

3. Strategic Partnerships

How do you get into the unknown prospect’s mind prior to a shopping trip? One method is to reach out to new audiences using another company’s digital channels of communication. 

When you partner with Shopkick, for instance, app users first learn of your brand during their pre-trip planning. They’ll see you’re offering kicks in exchange for in-store brand interactions. And depending on your campaign, they may be able to watch videos and learn more about your brand on a mobile device—anytime, anywhere. 

Partnering with a complementary brand, charity, local organization, delivery service, or shopping platform can help you achieve maximum brand awareness by introducing you to a new audience. Partnerships allow you to build trust, increase value, and generate buzz.
Brands and retailers shouldn’t leave awareness to chance. Instead, they should leverage digital marketing strategies that are designed to deliver the right message at the right time—during each step on the path to purchase. 

Shopkick offers our partners the opportunity to increase brand awareness among motivated shoppers. Contact us to see the benefits of partnering with Shopkick and adding this platform to your marketing mix.

Customer loyalty app: 3 most important qualities when rewarding loyalty

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Customer loyalty app: 3 most important qualities when rewarding loyalty

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Mobile customer loyalty apps were introduced as a basic solution to the overstuffed wallet or the keyring with dozens of store loyalty cards attached. Over the years, mobile apps have evolved to become fun, interactive forms of entertainment that still reward loyalty but also allow consumers the opportunity to engage with the brands they love on a deeper level. 

Efficient customer loyalty apps facilitate transactions, store personal data, offer a direct link to shopping assistants, solve customer pain points, and provide instant gratification. When considering how to reward customer loyalty, brands and retailers should be sure their customer loyalty apps offer these services and are also personalized, engaging, and user-friendly. 

The 3 Most Important Qualities of a Customer Loyalty App 

1. Personalization

When it comes to rewarding loyalty, personalization tops the list of most important qualities. A customer loyalty app that lacks personalization tends to lead to customer dissatisfaction. Consumers expect personalization as a standard of service. A customer loyalty app should be set up to continuously track customers’ buying and browsing histories to find ways to personalize the next interaction.

A global study of more than 3,000 consumers revealed that 63% of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service. Those surveyed felt like a brand recognized them as an individual when they were sent unique special offers (52%) and were recognized as a customer across all touchpoints (43%). Unfortunately, many brands aren’t keeping pace with expectations, according to consumers. 

In order to meet consumer personalization expectations, brands and retailers must understand that some will download their app for the rewards points, while others may like enhanced customer service, recommendations, and access to exclusive offers. These consumers may look at a customer loyalty app as:  

  • utilitarian (inherently useful): offering coupons, discounts, free shipping, no-hassle returns; 
  • hedonic (evoking pleasant sensations): offering early sale access, express checkout, personalized recommendations; or 
  • symbolic (representative of values): providing feelings of importance, superiority, and satisfaction with “VIP” status. 

While utilitarian benefits are more directly related to short-term buyer satisfaction and likely get a potential customer’s “foot in the door,” it will be the hedonic and symbolic values that ultimately equate more with long-term customer loyalty. 

Brands and retailers should tailor their customer loyalty programs to encourage long-term customer loyalty. One effective way to do this is with a tiered loyalty program. The top tiers should be as benefit-rich as possible, encouraging shoppers to remain loyal in order to reach the next level of rewards. Studies have shown that the top 10% of a brand’s customer base is spending three times more than the average customer, and the top one percent is spending five times more. This uber-loyal group is not simply motivated by deep discounts but by the services offered through a personalized customer loyalty program. 

2. Engagement

Rewards programs are about more than accruing points. Customer loyalty app users are looking for an enhanced experience. Ideally, customers will use apps to engage with a brand for a sustained amount of time in ways that are productive and rewarding. App satisfaction then, in turn, produces more than transactional loyalty—but long-term brand affinity. 

Retailers can think of apps as a marketing venue for the creation of compelling content and an opportunity to delight buyers. Users want to use apps because they’re fun and they make the shopping experience more convenient. Shoppers want to engage with brands that understand them, go the extra mile for them, and resonate with their core values and lifestyles.

In-Store Functionality

Shoppers aren’t simply using customer loyalty apps to shop online; they’re also logging into apps in-store for help with their purchases. Nearly 60% of shoppers look up products or pricing information while in brick-and-mortar stores. In grocery stores, 68% of shoppers use mobile apps to locate desired items, check inventory, look for deals, and to self- checkout. Adding digital touchpoints to facilitate easier in-store shopping is not only highly influential, but it’s still a competitive differentiator, as only 1 in 10 retail apps include functionality designed specifically for the in-store experience.

Customer loyalty apps should be equipped to: 

  • Include product photos, descriptions, pricing, and reviews.
  • Use mapping technology and in-store navigation to help shoppers find items on their list.
  • Allow item scanning and mobile checkout or buy online pick up in-store (BOPIS).
  • Send personalized, real-time offers with in-store beacons.

Intelligent Communications

Push notifications can be a key to increasing order volumes and store visits. Ideally, a loyalty app’s push notifications:

  • Appeal with conversational tone.
  • Keep wording brief, with a CTA.
  • Attach a clear offer or incentive.
  • Use images when possible.
  • Segment users by geography.

Some savvy app users may disable push notifications from the get-go. That doesn’t mean you lose the opportunity to communicate with them, but it does mean you have to find a workaround—in-app messaging is the ticket. 

In-app messaging best practices include:

  • Letting users know when they have “leveled up” to a new reward tier.
  • Asking users for reviews & feedback.
  • Encouraging product discovery.
  • Sharing personalized reminders.
  • Announcing interesting, timely news.
  • Providing a visual digital storefront.
  • Confirming actions and purchases.

Instant Gratification

Instant gratification is one reason shoppers come back to an app time and time again. Surveys show 78% of consumers prefer instant, digital access to rewards over email offers or mail-in rebates. You needn’t offer big price slashes in order to win loyalty, however. Most shoppers thrive on a points-based system that provides the instant gratification of advancing toward an end goal. 

Shopkick is a mobile rewards platform that enables brand and retail partners to appeal to shoppers with: 

  • curated lookbooks
  • video ads
  • product-scan missions
  • special promotions 
  • bundled offers
  • action-based rewards

In turn, shoppers engage with retailers through the platform to earn loyalty points they can redeem toward a gift card of their choosing. 

By gamifying the shopping experience, Shopkick turns a humdrum trip to the store into a virtual scavenger hunt, with rewards points around every turn. Shoppers also have access to information they need to make purchase decisions and can learn about new brands or products.

Bomb Pop—the iconic red, white, and blue popsicle brand—partnered with Shopkick to take advantage of the power of mobile in experiential marketing. App users received in-app content encouraging them to add the brand to their grocery lists. Upon arrival at the store, shoppers were greeted with a branded message and received points for scanning and purchasing the product. Shopkick’s scavenger-hunt-link gamification model turned what would have been a mundane shopping trip into a memorable experience. Bomb Pop received over 23 million impressions in two months; 44% of shoppers first learned about the brand through Shopkick, and 68% of purchasers had not been planning to buy prior to engaging in a fun app experience. 

3. User-Friendliness

A user-friendly design is crucial to attracting and maintaining loyalty. Even if a person loves what you have to offer, he or she is likely to delete an app and shop elsewhere if the app experience doesn’t meet their expectations.

At a minimum, a customer loyalty app should have:

  • Intuitive navigation with a grid layout or tucked-away panel, avoiding complex drop-downs and pop-ups. 
  • A custom visual interface that will work on the smaller screen of an old flip phone as well as the large screen of the latest smartphone, for example.
  • A fast path to checkout (if the app allows mobile shopping) with saved data and automatic reward application to minimize the path to purchase.
  • The ability to pay in multiple ways, from Visa and Mastercard to PayPal and Venmo.
  • App security features—an area that has become increasingly more important in recent years.
Brands and retailers can harness all the most important qualities of a loyalty program by partnering with Shopkick. By partnering with Shopkick, brands and retailers will appeal to both their existing customer bases, and a brand new group of shoppers who already use the customer loyalty app. Shopkickers may learn about a brand, product, or retailer during the crucial pre-trip planning phase or upon checking in to a retail store. Post-scan surveys indicate a high willingness to make repeat purchases with Shopkick partner brands. The innovative platform doesn’t compete with or replace a traditional rewards program, but rather, it complements, helping brands and retailers offer deeper personalization, greater in-store functionality, intelligent communications, and instant gratification. 

Shopkick is an innovative rewards app that fosters customer loyalty through personalization, engagement, and user-friendliness. Our partners use Shopkick to drive sales, steal market share, and produce incredible ROI. Contact us to see how Shopkick can work for you.

3 types of experiential marketing that create a lasting impression

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3 types of experiential marketing that create a lasting impression

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Experiential marketing can be exciting, funny, startling, educational, or emotional—but one aspect all experiential marketing campaigns have in common is the ability to grab a consumer’s attention in a meaningful way. A magazine spread or social media shout can be easily forgettable, whereas a buzzworthy new pop-up shop or brand ambassador placing a free sample into your hand is likely more memorable.

The best experiential marketing:

  • invites consumers to engage emotionally and physically with the brand or a particular product 
  • promotes the brand’s message and values 
  • solidifies an association with a partner brand/product or lifestyle
  • gains mainstream media exposure and social media mentions with a branded hashtag
  • grows lasting relationships with participants through digital interactions following the physical interaction

While this form of marketing is generally associated with a higher price tag, the majority of companies say their efforts pay off in sales. Beyond the immediate cost-benefit analysis, 91% of consumers say experiential marketing done right leaves them with a positive impression of the brand, and 85% of participants say they are more likely to continue doing business with the brand.

Here, we explore three types of experiential marketing that will have long-lasting effects: events, mobile campaigns, and retail installations.

3 Effective Types of Experiential Marketing

1. Experiential Event Marketing

Events are the most common type of experiential marketing, as they provide direct face-to-face interactions between consumers and brand ambassadors. Millennial consumers, in particular, often seek out these experiential events out of curiosity, fear of missing out, appetite for entertainment, or social media relevancy. One study found that 56% of millennials said they would feel more welcomed by more in-store interactions.

The definition of an experiential event depends upon a brand’s budget and desired exposure:

  • Mega Events: Some gatherings focus on attracting celebrities, industry influencers, potential partners, and media exposure. They feature speakers, VIP guests, demos, parties, prizes, and entertainment during events that can last for days or span several different locations. Venues, booths, tents, and tables can create events-within-events that add impactful fun.
  • Guerilla Campaigns: Guerilla marketing, or street-level marketing, sends droves of brand ambassadors into the crowd on a mission—typically with free samples, flyers, or some other type of value proposition. These events can be organized in conjunction with a retail partner, a festival, at a park, outside a mass transit station, at a shopping mall, or in night clubs.
  • Pop-Up Shops: Pop-ups are all the buzz these days, whether it’s a toy store outside the subway station, a perfume hut in the park, or a food stall erected in a previously vacant spot. Pop-ups allow merchants to demo, educate, “wow” with technology, and sell right on the premises.
  • Exclusive Experiences: Rewarding loyal fans with exclusive “invitation only” VIP experiences is another way to express gratitude and stay at the forefront of shoppers’ minds. The gesture can create an incentive for others to reach new spending tiers, whether it’s to receive a few hours of early or late shopping; special hors d’oeuvres and cocktail hours in a VIP lounge; or entertainment at a popular restaurant, theater, or sporting event.

2. Experiential Mobile Marketing

Smartphones have opened another window of opportunity for marketers to leave a lasting impression on consumers. Videos, gamification, and augmented reality can be incorporated into a mobile-friendly experience. Whether users are scanning QR codes to enter a contest, playing a location-based game, or participating in a scavenger hunt for a particular item in the supermarket for reward points, mobile makes the promotion more effective and affordable.

QR Codes

QR codes allow mobile users to interact with a brand seamlessly, without having to download an app or type an address into their web browser. With a quick camera scan interaction, shoppers are instantly redirected to a well-thought-out virtual brand experience. QR codes are ideal for late stages of the buying journey when shoppers may need just a little more information before buying. QR codes on product labels or point of purchase signage can direct users to comparisons with other brands, provide more information on pricing, or explain raw material sourcing.

Location-Based Marketing

Smartphone users are often on their phones frequently ending searches with the phrase “near me.” Linking an experiential campaign to location-based keywords is one way to integrate mobile into experiential marketing events and increase foot traffic. Location-based mobile marketing can also be used to send loyalty members special perks during events. For instance, attendees at Disney’s Coco Live event in LA received exclusive photos of stage performers for sharing on social media. At another event, baseball game participants made themselves into virtual baseball cards or bobbleheads and shared with friends.

Mobile Apps

Mobile apps have become the latest frontier in experiential marketing. Experiential retail doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. Sometimes simply having the right products in the right place at the right time is enough to meet expectations, while the availability of an app provides the added stimulation needed to make a lasting impression. Brands needn’t have their own app to engage. Shopkick is a well-known shopping app that brands can partner with to create experiential campaigns in-store. Users interact with brands in exchange for rewards points they can redeem on gift cards.

Bomb Pop—the iconic red, white, and blue popsicle brand—partnered with Shopkick to take advantage of the power of mobile in experiential marketing. App users received in-app content encouraging them to add the brand to their grocery lists. Upon arrival at the store, shoppers were greeted with a branded message and received points for scanning and purchasing the product. Shopkick’s scavenger-hunt-link gamification model turned what would have been a mundane shopping trip into a memorable experience. Bomb Pop received over 23 million impressions in two months; 44% of shoppers first learned about the brand through Shopkick, and 68% of purchasers had not been planning to buy prior to engaging in a fun app experience. 

3. Experiential Retail Installations

Brands choose an experiential retail display in order to promote discovery, convenience, and community. These physical spaces deliver added value shoppers can’t get online or at home. They may provide a selfie-worthy space to snap a photo, a relaxing lounge, a museum of interesting items, or a technology nirvana for guests.

Each experiential retail installation is unique to the brand, but there are a few common themes that prevail:

  • Interactivity 
  • Originality
  • Connectedness
  • Surprise
  • Reliability

Customers want to be surprised and delighted by the retail display, but also be able to find what they want or need on a practical level. Experiential displays needn’t cost hundreds of thousands of dollars—though, some do. Brands can strive to make the most efficient use of space with mid-floor bunkers, uniquely designed displays that substitute for wall shelving, or floor graphics in a bare strip of space. Point of purchase signage and brochures can invite shoppers to scan QR codes or pick up a brochure. Adhesive window decals, printed vinyl wall displays, magnetic signage, and custom POP stands are all affordable ways to grab attention and engage shoppers. Simply having a product out of the packaging and available for demo is a powerful invitation to enjoy with the senses. 

The many types of experiential marketing offer brands a wealth of possibilities. With Shopkick, brands have the opportunity to develop an experiential marketing campaign that makes the right impact in the right place at the right time with the right person. Shopkick is experiential—it creates a fun, unique, and memorable experience by leveraging technology that engages smartphone-wielding customers at home, in-store, and online. 

Shopkick is one of the most effective types of experiential marketing. Our partners use Shopkick to drive sales, steal market share, and produce incredible ROI. Contact us to create a lasting impression with consumers.

3 effective mobile marketing channels to promote consumer engagement

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3 effective mobile marketing channels to promote consumer engagement

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Mobile marketing allows you to reach your customers wherever they are, whether that’s home, work, or play. The vast majority of shoppers welcome communications from brands that are truly relevant, helpful, and engaging. One of the best aspects of mobile marketing is that it allows businesses to pull together a number of different channels—social media, email marketing, video, search advertising, and physical retail—in a way that is engaging and immediate. The way to solidify conversions from your efforts will be to communicate in a way that isn’t invasive—but, rather, intriguing, entertaining, and engaging. Among the most effective mobile marketing channels are opt-in SMS messaging and notifications, email subscriptions, and retargeted ads.

Mobile Marketing Channels That Promote Engagement

Opt-In Mobile Messaging & Notifications

With a consumer’s permission, brands and retailers can engage by:

  • Announcing Promotions: Let shoppers know about an upcoming sale or new merchandise. 
  • Sending Alerts: Send location-based reminders and offers when they’re near your retail location.
  • Confirming Orders: Keep customers abreast of deliveries by confirming the transaction. 
  • Sending Updates: Share important group updates about cancellations, closures, and upcoming activities. 
  • Offering Rewards: Maintain a loyal customer base by keeping members informed of their reward status and benefits.
Text messages are one of the most popular channels for marketing communications due to their effectiveness. Consider this: 

  • Text messages have over a 90% open-rate, compared to just 20% for email communications.
  • Response rates to text marketing are 7.5x higher than email.
  • Branded vanity links sent via text get 39% more clicks than generic short links.
  • Seventy-five percent of shoppers say they don’t mind receiving texts from brands they like.
  • More than 50% of customers prefer contacting support through text messaging.

By 2020, 45 million customers had opted into mobile text communications. It’s no surprise, considering Americans look at their phones an average of 80 times per day. Mobile marketing is the ideal way to reach prospects these days, as the messages get through, they’re read quickly, and they inspire action. Incentivizing consumers to opt-in to mobile messaging is an easy way to build your communications list.  

Email Communications

Email is like a comfortable and familiar old friend. Consumers are used to receiving email communications and generally find email to be a helpful and non-intrusive way to keep in touch with their favorite brands. Global internet users overwhelmingly prefer to receive brand communications via email communication (62.9%) compared to a mobile app (43%), social media (25.2%), and direct mail (18.1%).

According to research, shoppers use email messages to:

  • Obtain discount offers, coupon codes, and rewards.
  • Discover new products of interest based on past history.
  • Remember to purchase from a preferred brand.
  • Read product reviews and reviews from publications.
  • Find similar products and share them with friends/family.

Interactive Emails

Interactive elements invite subscribers to actively engage with your marketing emails in some way. Audiences are surprised and delighted by these opportunities to engage. Examples include:

  • surveys and polls
  • rollover effects
  • product carousels
  • incentivized games
  • video product demos

Rather than passively scanning email text, shoppers are clicking and engaging. 

User-Generated Content

Storytelling with user-generated content is a hot trend on social media, but can easily be incorporated into the email channel as well, since people look to email as a source for reviews. 

  • Share fan images and videos.
  • Create reviews-driven ads.
  • Leverage polls to collect data.
  • Add thumbs up/down buttons.
  • Share the most popular items.

User-generated content engages fellow shoppers using authentic and trustworthy supporting voices.

Personalized Segmentation

Simply personalizing the subject line can increase email-generated revenue by 760% compared to one-size-fits-all. Creating targeted lists upon signup lets you connect with audiences in a more relevant way. You can segment based on:

  • age, gender, location, profession
  • type of benefit sought
  • occasion for shopping
  • brand loyalty status
  • buyer readiness stage

Personalization in marketing grabs consumer attention and can lead to loyalty.

Retargeted Ads

Retargeting campaigns help you get the most from your paid ad spending. Unlike pop-up banner ads, native advertising tends to blend into the surrounding environment, like at the bottom of news articles as paid/sponsored ads, in a social media feed, or at the top of Google search results.

Facebook and Google are among the most popular retargeting platforms, as they make it easy to build custom audiences and allow brands to:

  • increase awareness, maintaining visibility after the first visit.
  • send reminders, showing the exact product browsed again.
  • re-engage, appealing to those who haven’t recently shopped.
  • reduce abandonment, reminding shoppers of items left in their cart.
  • be relevant, campaigning based on geography or product.

You may not be able to win them all, but retargeting can attract up to 98% of visitors who have left your site without making a purchase back to your brand again and boost overall conversions up to 150%.

If you’re looking for a unique mobile marketing channel to promote customer engagement, consider Shopkick. Shopkick users (“Shopkickers”) begin engaging with a partner brand by viewing in-app content and checking offers during the consideration phase of a shopping trip, whether at home or on the go. Once in-store, Shopkick utilizes a gamification strategy to drive shoppers to products on the shelf, encouraging physical product interaction in exchange for reward points (“kicks”). Shopkickers redeem their kicks for gift cards of their choosing, which creates positive brand affinity. Shopkick makes a great addition to your marketing mix, in addition to your text campaigns, email communications, and retargeting ads. 

Shopkick is an effective mobile marketing channel that allows brands and retailers to communicate with consumers along the path to purchase. Our partners use Shopkick to offer consumers rewards for engagement that leads to measurable ROI. Contact us to learn more about incorporating Shopkick into your mobile marketing efforts.

Retail tips: What makes a customer’s shopping experience seamless?

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Retail tips: What makes a customer’s shopping experience seamless?

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The vast majority of shoppers move across channels on the path to purchase. They may move from your website to a mobile app and into your brick-and-mortar store all in one shopping trip—and they expect that experience to be smooth and without frustration. After making a purchase, they may seek support by phone, email, chat, or in-store. When shopping across channels or reaching out for support, consumers don’t want to re-enter their contact information and repeat their issues again and again. As a result, brands and retailers have been tasked with finding ways to make the shopping experience more convenient, less troublesome, and more engaging for customers.

When considering what makes a customer’s shopping experience seamless, brands and retailers shouldn’t simply throw money at all the different shopping channels—that won’t magically translate into a better customer experience. Instead, true seamlessness requires a strategic approach involving personalization, omnichannel support, and frictionless customer service.

Discovering What Makes a Customer’s Shopping Experience Seamless

Personalization

Shoppers want their favorite brands and retailers to “know” them. They want customized web content based on their category or purchasing profile. They want to see options that fit their desired criteria. They want ads based on items they’ve searched or purchased in the past. They want their feedback considered and the opportunity to customize products to their liking.

The most successful retailers: 

  • Identify customer desires and pain points. 
  • Find the right technology partners.
  • Track data across digital and in-store channels. 
  • Personalize recommendations to the individual.
  • Define success and how to measure ROI.
  • Deploy, measure, and optimize personalized campaigns.

What Does Seamless Personalization Look Like?

Shoppers don’t want distracting or irrelevant interruptions that detract from their experiences. Interruptive experiences may include:

  • pop-up ads, sticky info-bars, or interstitials that block the screen while browsing websites
  • mobile push notifications when smartphone users have not allowed or expected them
  • unsolicited marketing emails trying to sell products outside of a consumer’s interest

By contrast, seamless personalized experiences include:

  • online ads that appear as “sponsored posts” on social media
  • opt-in, transactional, and ongoing emails that serve as lead nurturing 
  • inline code that adds sections of content to a page based on the visitor who is reading 
  • A/B testing to determine which landing page or ad copy to display

Through seamless personalization, you collect information and use it in a helpful way, without shoppers feeling like you are being intrusive. Shoppers want transparent communications on their terms and easy opt-out notices.

Omnichannel Presence

Shoppers expect a high level of support that transcends channels. They’re going to stores, shopping online, browsing social platforms, and using mobile devices. 

The most successful retailers are attracting shoppers to their landing pages with SEO-rich content, running contests, fostering user-generated content on social media, and designing mobile apps featuring engaging video content and tailored deal.

Whether marketing offline, online, or via mobile, you’ll want to have a cohesive look and feel from your homepage and social media channels to your in-store displays and ads. Use the same colors, typography, imagery, and message tone across all channels for a seamless omnichannel experience that makes consumers comfortable with your brand.

Seamless In-Store

Despite the convenience of online shopping, most customers still prefer bricks over clicks. They like seeing, touching, and interacting with products before they buy. They like personalized attention from sales associates and the whole store ambiance. Location-based technology is one of the ways brands and retailers are creating a more seamless shopping experience. They are using beacons to know when specific customers arrive at the store, how long they stay, what parts of the store they visit, and how long they linger in a particular aisle. Mobile POS solutions are valuable in-store tools that yield a more seamless experience. Store associates can look up a customer’s shopping history to find product information tailored to their interests.

Seamless Social Media & Web

Online shopping may only represent eight percent of direct purchases, but the internet remains a vital part of a seamless customer experience with 81% of shoppers researching online before buying. Furthermore, half of shoppers use social channels to research purchases they’re considering, and a third use social as a channel to discover new items. Tracking customer behavior across the web and running email drip campaigns, paid targeted ads on social media, special web offers based on purchase/browsing history, and integrated rewards programs for online shoppers is key to seamless and personalized marketing online. Not only must retailers ensure they have a seamless user experience across all channels, but they’ll need to make the online/offline transition smoother as well. BOPIS (Buy Online Pickup In-Store) is one of the latest innovations gaining traction with busy shoppers.

Seamless Mobile

Over half of shoppers use mobile apps while in-store to inform their purchases. They use their phones to find and redeem coupons, to find items, and to learn more about items they’re intending to buy. In-app video is a fast-growing way to connect with customers, whether they are using your native app or a third-party mobile shopping platform. In 2019, click-through rates for in-app video were two times that of native ads and over ten times greater than banner ads. Shopkick, a popular mobile shopping platform, invites users to earn rewards points for watching in-app videos. These points can eventually be redeemed for gift cards to use with partnering brands or retailers. By incentivizing video, one Shopkick partner’s campaign received over 16M impressions and was highly successful in educating consumers before their trip to the store, boasting a 99% branded video completion rate.

Frictionless Customer Service

What are your customers’ pain points? Knowing the answer could mean the difference between retaining customers and churning them. Failing to address purchase issues quickly and efficiently can have detrimental effects. According to one survey, even if they love a brand, 17% of customers will walk away after one bad experience. On the other hand, when customers’ expectations are met or exceeded, companies gain measurable business benefits—including the chance to win customer loyalty.

It’s worth considering how to make your customer service more frictionless, whether it’s bolstering pre-purchase inventory management, expediting checkout, or resolving post-purchase issues more efficiently.

Consider these frictionless customer service fixes:

  • Back-End Inventory Control: Cloud-based inventory management seamlessly tracks inventory moving in and out of your business. Equipping employees with real-time inventory data, keeping eCommerce websites accurately updated, letting shoppers know what’s available locally, and allowing shoppers to be notified when desired items are back in-stock lets consumers choose how they wish to buy and know you are a reliable retailer they can count on to find what they need. 
  • Checkout Solutions: Long gone are the days where shoppers have the patience to wait in long lines. Now they prefer to pay using self-checkout. Innovators are dabbling in surveillance-powered cashier-less stores. If they were able to pay for products using loyalty points or a digital wallet—rather than carrying cash or credit cards—68% of customers said they’d shop at a store more often and 57% said they would spend more money.
  • Post-Purchase Communication: The best omnichannel support involves live chat, preferred by 54% of consumers. Shoppers don’t mind interacting with AI chatbots to save time, but virtual intelligence must be backed by human teams of doers who can ultimately get the job done. Offering email, phone, and in-store support shows you truly care about your customers. If they have complaints, customers want those complaints heard and addressed. It’s wise to pay attention to what customers are saying on review forums and social media sites after making a purchase.   
When considering ways to make a customer’s experience seamless, begin by addressing customer pain points and bottlenecks. Asking for customer feedback is one way to get a pulse on the type of shopping experience you currently offer if you’re unsure where to begin. Once you’ve discovered the issues, move on to expanding your capabilities to be more in line with customer expectations. Technology makes a seamless engagement strategy possible. Options include intuitive web design, customer relationship management software, better back-end inventory control, location-based advertising, beacons, A/B testing, mobile checkout tools, and mobile app partnerships like Shopkick. Lastly, be sure your staff members are trained to put people first, whether it’s in-store, over the phone, on social channels, or via chat.   

Shopkick is a shopping rewards app designed to assist brands and retailers in providing customers with a seamless shopping experience. Our partners use Shopkick to engage with in-app video and reach shoppers at the most crucial stage of shopping—when they’re in-aisle at the store, making a purchase decision. Contact us to learn more about Shopkick’s benefits.