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How retailers can use marketing automation to create lasting customer loyalty

Hannah Hambleton, content manager for Beambox, lists out ways marketing automation makes creating lasting customer loyalty much easier.

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January 21, 2020 by Hannah Hambleton — Content Manager, Beambox

For every retailer, creating loyal customers must be a main focus, resulting in improved brand awareness and ultimately, a better bottom line. Marketing automation makes creating lasting customer loyalty much easier. Customers now expect relevant and personalized brand interactions every single time, and marketing automation makes this much easier. This article will show you how.

1.    Send the perfect loyalty-boosting emails, every time

Email automation is a great way to personally engage with every customer. Use guest in-store WiFi or POS tools to capture customer email addresses and then use email automation to segment and interact personally with each customer. Sending welcome emails or special welcome offers personalized to the customer create value and relevance for customers, contributing to increased loyalty and engagement over time. You'll also be able to send automatic requests for customer reviews after a purchase or visit to your store, in addition to individualized recommendations to boost upselling. Emails allow you to nurture customer leads with carefully curated content based on their interactions with your retail store; maximizing sales as well as loyalty.

2. Boost interaction with your retail brand on social platforms

Social media is essential for retailers when it comes to engagement. Customers ultimately buy brands, not products, so it's important to package and promote your retail brand through great storytelling. Make interacting with your customers via social media a priority, including on Instagram and Facebook. Marketing automation makes retail social media much simpler, working to amplify, as well as integrate your brand message into other retail marketing campaigns.

Social media marketing automation will let you:
•    Automatically analyze content that works, giving you the tools to dynamically alter campaigns if necessary.
•    Automatically send ‘welcome' messages and DMs. This can include a website link or advertise any in-store promotions you have coming up.
•    Schedule content in advance across platforms.
 

3. Understand and react to an omnichannel retail experience

You customer's experience with your retail brand is unlikely to take a straight path. Omnichannel retailing is now an important consideration, as well as ad influences from channels such as social media The result is that it can be difficult to track and understand a customer journey effectively, leaving you in the dark about what really works for your retail brand. Marketing automation, makes it easy to track a customer's journey in store or online (or both) with your retail brand properly, from first interaction to repeat purchases.  You'll also be able to identify points where customers disengage with your retail brand too, automatically starting a reconnection stream to get them back on board.

4. Drive loyalty with proximity tracking for retailers

WiFi proximity tracking combined with automation is a great way retailers can drive loyalty. Beacon technology on smartphones will give you the tools to communicate with customers in real time, sending promotional pop-ups, app notifications or SMS communications. You'll be able to automatically target customers in your store who are browsing particular items, encouraging them to spend with you. Customers can also be sent promotional messages once they're near your store, helping to increase footfall.

6. Use website tracking to increase loyalty to your retail brand

Of course, online retailing is also a massive part of the customer experience. Web personalization automation allows you to tailor your retail website to your customers, including before they've even shared any personal details with you. Thanks to website ID technology, you'll be able to use browsing data and location information to make your website experience relevant to every customer. Offering a more relevant experience to your customers every time will add value to their experience, fostering levels of loyalty and engagement.

7. Chatbots and AI will engage customers for better loyalty

Chatbots are an important marketing automation tool, helping to improve customer service, send cart abandonment emails or making personalized customer produce recommendations. If customers need help after sales, for example with product questions or returns, chatbots make this entire process easier. Creating and offering a streamlined retail experience through chatbot marketing automation, either in-store or online will help create lasting customer loyalty, making your retail brand their first choice.

Retailers must embrace marketing automation

Retailers need loyal customers. They're the most profitable and valuable to any retail brand, so it's important to invest in developing lifetime loyalty. This process begins with genuine customer engagement, and marketing automation technology will make this process much easier for your retail brand. Use marketing automation technology to segment, target and engage with customers, and you'll soon create lasting loyalty.

About Hannah Hambleton

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Hannah Hambleton is the Content Manager for Beambox.com and writes about marketing and social media trends for small businesses and the hospitality industry.

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