When designing any kind of high-impact consumer experience, creating a sense of discovery and participation is a critical consideration. In person, it’s relatively easy to engage the shopper’s senses—body language, sights, sounds, and even smells can be used to create a custom, personal environment. Yet, translating this energy into an online presence can be challenging as organizations attempt to capture the same types of interactions that will facilitate a streamlined purchasing experience and, at the same time, compel today’s fast-paced shopper to linger and learn more about a company’s products and services.
Today’s “Future Focused” blog posting looks at new multi-channel opportunities, and how companies can use widening mobile and digital platforms to boost—rather than diminish—their brand presence.
Perhaps the leading catalyst for businesses looking to have an omnichannel presence is the rise of mobile devices for virtually all types of customers. As we know from personal experience, consumers are increasingly “connected” even when they’re away from their computers, a paradigm shift that requires sites to be designed for responsiveness and accessibility to all users, across all devices – at any time, from any location. Just as important from within the company is ensuring that service and logistic teams have access to technology that allows them to check inventory, place orders, and even make a sale while on the go.
At the risk of oversimplifying a challenge of considerable complexity, the key to adding new online channels to existing marketing programs is creating seamless, streamlined transitions from physical to digital. As we’ve all experienced, an online presence is capable of powerfully strengthening an organization’s overall marketing efforts, but only to the extent that it feels like a natural extension of the values and objectives that company was built on—and customers will know (and sense) the difference.
And this requirement for “virtual authenticity” remains true regardless of which online channels your business chooses to engage with consumers from. As purchasing contexts, use cases, and environments continue to become more diverse, a key CRM omnichannel consideration will be aligning your brand with the technology required for consumers to access you in the most comfortable and streamlined way for them. This is a vital component of staying relevant, connected, and in tune with your audience—and making sure they see your personality and your value proposition, even when they can’t see you.
Tune in next week to learn more about advancements in CRM mobility, including what’s on the horizon for wearable and geolocation devices. In the meantime, to learn more about these new technologies and how our seasoned CRM consultants can deliver this functionality to your business, please contact any member of our consulting team at [email protected]. We also encourage you to contact Tokara’s VP of Business Development, Mark Fillingim, directly at +1 972-719-0213.
Sources:
CRM Trends, “Top 5 CRM Trends for 2015,” http://www.crmtrends.com/crm.html
Gartner, “Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015,” October 8, 2014,http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2867917
NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT
