3 Ways to Connect with the Digital Multi-Tasking Customer

As customers add new devices like smartphones and tablets to the spectrum of tools they’re using on a daily basis, businesses are learning an important lesson – stop trying to dictate to customers how they should view brands and buying decisions, start sharing a perception of the brand as part of a more comprehensive customer journey.

This shift is the key to winning their trust and getting to the heart of customer and market behavior.

To accomplish this, businesses need to figure out how to provide value at every intersection point and start building digital platforms and creating experiences that meet the needs of on-the-go customers.

In the past, marketers and retailers have been the ones driving conversations and influencing customer behavior. But the flood of mobile gadgets, apps and tablets, have customers demanding more and lightweight interactions – giving them greater control of how and where they pay attention to brands.

In fact, today 90% of mobile owners keep their devices within arm’s reach 100% of the time. One out of every 10 connected Americans owns a laptop, a smartphone and a tablet – many using multiple devices simultaneously! Businesses now find themselves scrambling to keep up with this shift’. The only way to meet the attention span of today’s consumer is to become more consistent. Here are three ways to accomplish that goal:

Reinvent Digital Relationships

Dish up engaging, personal experiences that span across all digital touch points. Because people, whether shopping, researching, sending emails or talking to friends, are using whatever device is nearby. This means businesses need to ensure a consistent brand experience as customers move between screens. When interruptions with brand interactions occur, people take notice, sharing their frustrations and moving into the competition.

But when everything goes well, that also shows.Allow customers to take charge of what channel and device they use when interacting with a business – and make sure to accommodate them along the customer journey. For example, stores that have mastered how to tailor their customers’ shopping experiences for tablets, are at a significant advantage.

According to the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, the iPad generated more traffic than any other tablet or smartphone on Black Friday 2012. In fact, on that day it accounted for nearly 10 percent of online shopping.

Create a Two-Way Dialogue With Customers

Erase the notion that your customers are just there for a commercial transaction and focus on entertaining them. Provide personalized content and targeted offers and create a real experience – with the goal of building stronger relationships and converting customers into brand advocates.

People treat activities like shopping as if it were a party, uploading a photo of new shoes on Facebook to get opinions from friends, tweeting about poor customer service experiences and sharing opinions on their buying experience in their communities of choice. Companies need to craft relationships that delight people Not sure where to begin? Good news – customers are telling you exactly how to do it! Through analytics and big data, you can determine exactly the best way to reach millions of individuals not matter how, where and when they are.

Embrace and Exceed Customer Expectations in Your Digital Experiences

As customers share more and more details about themselves, we can finally understand them on a personal level. Companies taking advantage of insights found within big data, social networks, mobility and location-based tracking are gaining a competitive edge, and can get to the heart of what customers really want.

Beware: as customers open up, their expectations also soar. Consumers expect companies to know what they want and can become quickly frustrated when they’re not able to deliver. With customers constantly on the move, it’s not about speed but rather control. As businesses begin this journey, let the customer take the wheel and focus on presenting them with a consistent and compelling experience that keeps them coming back.

by Gary Dolsen
Courtesy of MediaPost