The ability to create a personalized shopping experience is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s a must now. A recent study found that more than 70% of shoppers expect personalization when interacting with a brand and 63% of millennial shoppers are also willing to share personal data with businesses in exchange for tailored offerings.
There are many ways to deliver personalization in retail experience to customers. Here are six:
Personalized email
The easiest way that is implemented by almost every business is personalizing emails. An Experian study found that personalized emails get opened 29% more and clicked through 41% more than mass emails.
The best way to personalize email is to segment your customer lists based on shopping behavior. Many email marketing tools enable you to segment your customer lists as well as send personalized emails and test different content. You can also send out automatic happy birthday emails with a special discount code – those personalized happy birthday messages get opened 2.5 times more than generic emails.
Offer custom products
If you have stocked up, offer your customers limited-edition items, especially if your target audience is going crazy for them. You can also consider offering customers options to purchase custom items – it’s also a chance for you to show off your unique craftsmanship and stand out from the mass retailers. ConnectPOS supports every product type you sell on your Magento site so you can check out these custom products for customers at your brick-and-mortar stores too.
Train your sales associates
A survey found that 40% of consumers believe knowledgeable salespeople make shopping experiences more positive. Before putting your cashiers on board, provide them with training on your brand, products, and skills to deal with difficult situations. You can read more on How to provide effective training for your cashiers.
Loyalty programs
Loyalty programs are an effective way to thank your customers for their continued business and keep them coming back for more. Loyalty programs work for every generation, but they are particularly effective with millennials. In research by Bond Brand Loyalty, 68% of the millennial respondents said they would change where they shopped if it meant getting more rewards.
Offer personal shopping appointments
Turn your in-depth expertise on a specific niche of an industry into your competitive advantage by offering personal styling or consulting services. Your customers can book those appointments online ahead of time and add notes so you can prepare tailored experiences for them
Integrate beacon technology
According to an Accenture study, 60 percent of U.S. consumers said they want a more personalized shopping experience with real-time promotions and offers, and in-store beacons can help you do so. Beacons installed on the storefront and within the store can push messages to customers’ mobile devices if they have Bluetooth or certain apps enabled. You can tailor the messages to advertise the limited-batched items or selected items on sale. This can convince some passers-by to walk into your store and purchase from you.
