Steven Ledgerwood, UK managing director at Emarsys, considers the critical importance of the mobile sphere to ecommerce and multichannel traders.
How important is it for retailers to think cross-channel and mobile?
Mobile is crucial. Any retailer or brand that neglects mobile risks missing out on substantial revenue, it’s as simple as that. Very few shoppers are loyal to one channel or marketplace. Increasingly, we flip between smartphones, laptops, social media, marketplaces and physical stores.
We see something, we buy it. This makes the data about how we browse and interact with our favourite brands a lot more fragmented. For retailers, a unified approach to customer management is more important than ever. As much customer data as possible needs to be brought together to capture a shopper’s attention at the right time with the right product.
What suggestions do you have for effective ways retailers can do this?
We’ve been saying this for some time: personalise, personalise, personalise. Attention spans are extremely limited on mobile. Strategies that worked in-store or for shoppers sitting at a desk do not apply to the channel.
People only part with their hard-earned money when they feel confident that a product fits their needs to perfection. Mobile-focused email marketing campaigns need to convey this clearly, both in their design with limited screen space and product relevance.
Someone sitting on a train browsing emails on their phone will only click to buy if a product recommendation is tailored to their specific tastes and the checkout process is as simple as possible.
How do you see this area developing in the future?
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are transforming how marketers deliver campaigns to different audiences. These developments enable smarter product recommendations built on personalised customer data, not rudimentary segments that the retailer believes are correct.
Automation is also becoming increasingly advanced and powerful. Marketers are now able to focus on creating compelling mobile-friendly content rather than data management, segmentation and complicated workflows that hinder progress.
How do retailers need to act now in order to be ready for that future?
Just start – refinement is an ongoing progress and taking too long to embrace mobile can have a negative effect in the longer term. Mobile undeniably means learning which strategies work for existing customers and prospective buyers. This knowledge will only reveal itself by analysing the data available to you.
Marketing cloud platforms such as Emarsys’s offer powerful tools for retailers to target shoppers across a range of channels, mobile included.
Don’t forget the value of social ads. Distributing compelling content on Facebook or Twitter and ensuring the same content filters through to a customer’s emails will make the individual feel more valued, engaged and willing to purchase a product.
About Emarsys
Emarsys is a leading global provider of marketing automation software and the first marketing cloud for retail and ecommerce. The Emarsys B2C Marketing Cloud enables true, one-to-one interactions between marketers and consumers across all channels – building loyalty, enriching the customer journey and increasing revenues. Machine learning and data science fuels customer intelligence in an intuitive, cloud-based platform.
Visit Emarsys at: www.emarsys.com