As the saying goes, “the times are a-changin”. With the implementation of ever-evolving e-commerce solutions, many are calling this the
age of the customer. Online consumers have discovered that they are no longer tied to the physical world when it comes to buying anything from the mundane and ordinary to the expensive and extraordinary. A 24-7 online treasure trove of products is waiting to be discovered and bought. In the
age of the customer, the sheer amount and availability of information make it possible to search, research, review, buy, and consume products quicker than ever.
This has been a boon for customers, but not so much for companies. The increased complexity of marketing and selling to these sometimes-elusive customers can cause some serious anxiety among company leaders. While many companies are still trying to grasp how to effectively sell their products online, their customers have leaped ahead of them. This shift has companies asking several important questions, including:
- How do you control this new type of customer? The answer is you don’t. The age of telling of your customers what to buy and when to buy it is over. They are no longer a homogenous group. You are not selling to faceless masses anymore but to Jane, who wears glasses, has a cat, prefers to buy used cars, and works from home.
- How do you plan for the future if you can’t even figure out who you are selling to? The shift from selling and marketing to the masses to interpreting the moods and motivations of individual customers can be a daunting task. Their inconsistent desires make it difficult to predict their buying patterns. (As logical and rational as we think we are, sometimes our decisions are based upon emotion.)
- How can your company get ahead in this new age of the customer? It boils down to gathering data and moving closer to the individual needs of your customers. While in the past the customer came to you, now you go to the customer. Like most companies, you probably have some basic data but have no way to gather the detailed data needed to entice and successfully interact with this new type of consumer. Your company must be adept at gathering and studying the details of this important data before you make your next move.
Americaneagle.com has partnered with Sitecore to bring you a comprehensive way of wooing your individual customers and winning them over. “Hello Jane!” Sitecore empowers companies to gather relevant data on their customers and turn it into usable data that can boost sales and provide clarity for their marketing strategy.
Now you can follow your customers, nudge them, guide them, and remind them as they move closer to purchasing your product, choosing your service, or converting whatever is specific to their interaction with your brand. Granted, this can create a longer cycle of relationship and trust building but it will pay off in the end by making your brand stand out and gain their personal loyalty.
Sitecore’s experience marketing platform provides a way to identify, segment, target, and engage with individual customers. No one has a marketing department big enough to accomplish what this system offers. Where e-commerce technology has opened up your potential customer base, Sitecore’s experience marketing technology will help you manage the conversations, relationships, and sales opportunities with these customers through all your marketing channels, whether social, web, or print.
In the strategy department at Americaneagle.com, we are always keeping a watchful eye on the latest marketing technology tools and trends. We do so to educate our clients as well as ourselves, in order to introduce marketing strategies that make a significant impact for our clients.
It’s time to get up close and personal. Stop watching Jane from afar. Contact Americaneagle.com and we’ll help you get that first date.
The story of wooing Jane will continue over the next several weeks, as I focus on how to strategize and implement features from Sitecore’s experience marketing tools to continue the courting path journey. I will also detail how all the great features of this powerful marketing platform will be used not only to get that first date, but also put you on a successful path towards a deeper relationship with your customer.