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GUEST COMMENT How to nail dynamic content that drives revenue

Dynamic content can enhance all facets of ecommerce

Dynamic content can enhance all facets of ecommerce

We all know that a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing isn’t good enough anymore. Consumers scroll past hundreds of marketing messages online, in their inbox and on social media every day and simply filter out what’s irrelevant to them. To maximise customer engagement, it’s therefore crucial to present shoppers with only the most relevant, timely content.

Dynamic content is one of the most powerful ways to engage customers in a more personal way. It is more likely to grab their attention and lead them towards a purchase. By tailoring the creative, offers, etc. to the customer, marketers can meet a shopper’s needs at a particular time, create a sense of urgency or gain emotional buy-in.

Brands can base dynamic content on contextual and behavioural information about the user, including past purchases and browses, preferences and location, as well as product data, such as stock levels. For instance, a customer who lives in Nebraska and has previously browsed winter coats can be shown winter-related outerwear that’s in stock, while a customer located in Hawaii can be shown shorts.

Surprisingly, the opportunities of dynamic content are often neglected by brands. Many marketers still use a blanket approach to their digital marketing, aiming blindly and hoping for the best result from their marketing efforts. With that in mind, we’ve outlined what to keep in mind when getting started with dynamic content.

Enhancing the customer lifecycle 

There are many ways in which dynamic content can be used to acquire, convert, grow and retain customers throughout their customer lifecycle. When used correctly, it will show shoppers the right content at the right time based on their needs and interests. 

Supplier of premium hand and power tools, FFX Tools is one example of how behavioural data in combination with dynamic imagery has successfully driven an increase in open rates and click-throughs.

Power tool buyers tend to be loyal to certain brands due to compatibility requirements. In order to convert more shoppers into buyers, the retailer is customising the hero image and product recommendations in emails based on brand affinity. For instance, a shopper who carted and abandoned a Makita power tool will receive a cart recovery email with a hero image based on the make of the carted item, and product suggestions from the same manufacturer. As a result of this, the power tools provider has seen cart and browse abandonment emails achieve an impressive click to open rate of 45%.

Prompting action

The retailer also uses real-time dynamic pricing in emails promoting flash deals. Previously, customers would be frustrated when they saw a deal in an email and clicked through, only to discover that the flash deal had ended, and the product returned to its original price. By working with Fresh Relevance, they can now serve live prices at the time an email is opened to ensure pricing is always up to date. This gives the shopper a frictionless and relevant experience.

Dynamic content also makes it easy to set fall-back content for time-limited offers. Customers opening the email or accessing the website during the promotion will see imagery specific to the offer. However, marketers can also set a backup banner for shoppers who engage with the content after the sale has ended to avoid disappointment.

Other great ways to create a sense of urgency and leverage FOMO (fear of missing out) with dynamic content include social proof tactics, such as showing current stock levels, how many people have viewed or purchased the item today.

Countdown timers can encourage shoppers to bag a bargain before it’s too late. They can also be used to provide service information, for example to make shoppers aware of how long they have left to complete an order to receive the product the next day. 

Taking it to the next level

Dynamic content gives brands the power to tailor onsite and email banners and offers to an individual’s preferences and context. But smart marketers take this even a step further. They customise not only the messaging that a shopper sees, but the type of content they see in the first place. By setting specific marketing rules, they control which kind of dynamic content gets shown to granular customer segments. A new website visitor might be served a form to subscribe to the newsletter, while the same homepage slot might show repeat customers a banner for their favourite product category and bargain hunters a personalised discount code.

To be able to execute this, marketers will need a personalisation platform that can automatically pull data from your eCommerce website, ESP and customer database in near real time, and use this to generate customised content across channels.

By leveraging dynamic content across the customer lifecycle, brands can engage with their customer base in new and unique ways. It’s this layer of personalisation that will catch the attention of customers, be perceived as helpful – and make them take action.

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