Yesterday I took part in a Retail Week webinar hosted by David Brooks, Retail Weeks’ Deputy Projects Editor, with Antony Lea, Head of CRM at notonthehighstreet.com and Jim Davidson, Manager of Marketing Research at Bronto both on the panel.
The main topics discussed were centred around online retail, leveraging data and enhancing personalisation – in other words, how businesses can capture data which will allow them to personalise the way they market to the users of their sites in future. With Antony dealing with these issues at notonthehighstreet.com already it was very interesting to hear ways in which online retailers are able to formulate a relationship with their current, potential and lapsed customers by personalising the way they engage with them.
Antony explained that he feels transparency is the way forward, letting customers know what kind of communication they can expect from you. He went on to say that he believes the future of personalisation lies in mobile technology.
6 out of 10 UK residents are Smartphone users and most use their mobiles as an alarm clock. It’s the first device they use in the morning and often the last to be checked at night.
Davidson spoke about Social Login (a way of allowing customers to connect with your brand using their social media accounts) as an engagement method offering lots of advantages to businesses in terms of data capture. Details captured from social login can allow you to personalise the approach you take to your marketing strategy and accurately segment your database.
The only thing missing from the webinar was how to bridge the gap that exists for retailers who have a physical presence. How do they capture a customers’ data, encourage them to engage and personalise their marketing strategy to successfully link in store and online activity?
So if you’re a high street retailer looking for an answer to these questions, take a look at Purple WiFi’s innovative solution. It gives you an opportunity to gain very valuable social exposure and data while providing a service your customer expect.