Brands that do well are those that know their customers personally

The ability to offer personalised experiences is the key to keeping customers and encouraging them to become loyal. In fact, 80% of surveyed customers said experience is equally as important as product or service and 66% expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations.

In a somewhat roundabout and ironic way, marketing automation and digital technology has evolved so much, especially through ai and machine learning, that brands can almost simulate that experience of yesteryear of going into the local village store.

Remember the days of being greeted with a friendly smile and chat from the shop owner who knows everything that you want and need? Maybe not, you may be blessed with being too young!

Let me explain; they’re on first name terms with you, know about your interests and hobbies and always asked about how the family are; whilst at the same time gathering your regular supplies and tempting you into trying something new based on your past purchasing behaviour or preferences.

This created customer loyalty. It was far more than a transaction of goods and money – it was a friendly face, a welcoming chat, a trusted person, a guide to new experiences, someone who made life a little bit easier because they knew you as an individual.

How to achieve customer loyalty through the use of customer data

Thanks to a single customer view you can achieve the one-to-one relationship by combining all sources of data you hold on a customer in one view with the aim of delivering multi-channel communications on a personal level.

To be the best you need to know the full 360 picture. This includes data such as:

• Number of purchases
• Frequency of purchases
• Range of products purchased
• Customer lifespan
• Average order value
• User generated content
• Customer reviews
• Email engagement metrics
• Website engagement and behaviour
• Returns data
• Customer lifetime value

Tips on how you can drive customer loyalty

At RedEye, we’ve identified five core ideas that are essential to driving loyalty:

1. Trust

e.g. reliable and fast delivery services, a hassle free returns policy

2. Purpose

e.g. a brand that stands for something and owns it completely by ignoring the distractions

3. Convenience

e.g. back in stock and replenishment campaigns enabling customers to purchase without having to constantly check-in – or even worse forget altogether

4. Personalisation

e.g. location data, upsell recommendations, weather forecasts, loyalty points balances, complementary product blogs and videos – this list is literally endless!

5. Surprises

e.g. listening back to customer feedback, actioning it, and telling them what you did. Reward offers such as reduced delivery rates, coupons or trial packs for products that complement a recent purchase, sneak peaks at new launches or exclusive member-only access events