The seamless customer experience is no longer an aspiration for brands, it is a commercial imperative.
There is enough research to indicate a strong preference among buyers, shoppers, people, for a personalised shopping experience. Whether they are browsing on your app, checking out on your online shop or rifling through the dresses in your flagship store, they want to connect with your brand and feel valued in return.
That’s the advantage of a people-based approach to consumer marketing – if you are certain that you are reaching the individual rather than just a cookie or a device, you can be more targeted in delivering a consistent, personalised experience whenever they decide to interact with your brand. You can also learn more about them as a result and continue to build that long-coveted omnichannel view.
Take search, for instance – an essential medium for brand marketers. A single search indicates a clear intent to act – I’m not going to look online for something that has no relevance to me whatsoever. If I am thinking of buying a car, I might want to find car insurance providers. If I want to get my girlfriend a birthday present, I might be looking for black skater dresses. I would do neither of these things without an intention to act, at least at some point or to some extent.
So how can retail brands then use this intent signal intelligently, to deliver an experience that the searcher will value?
People-Based Search combines the power and relevance of Search with the person-level recognition and detailed insight that People-Based Marketing delivers. As a result, you’re able to know that much more about the individual you are targeting, that you can craft the perfect ad ready for her when she searches.
In the ever-increasingly competitive space that is retail, together with falling disposable incomes in the UK, consumers are watching the pennies and being more cautious of where and when they spend them. It makes sense for brands to do the same and make data-driven decisions to maximise return on investment wherever possible. A people-based approach to Search helps you to recognise and suppress customers unlikely to respond to your ads (such as those who have already bought in-store), and can help you to find more prospects that look and behave in similar ways to your existing customers. So, more valuable customers, and less money wasted on dead-ends. Win-win!
People-based search empowers you to reach the right people at the exact moment they show intent to buy, enabling you to get closer to the seamless, personalised experiences that customers now expect.
Take a look at this eBook for some real life examples of People-Based Search in action.