- July 13, 2021
- Posted by: target
- Category: Blogs
Digital Customer Journey in a Post-COVID World
COVID-19 has severely impacted organisations along with customers. This unprecedented situation has caused drastic changes to customer behaviour and forced brands to rethink their strategies on how to approach their audiences. In times of crisis, a customer’s interaction with a company can make or break the brand’s image. We have outlined 4 key areas to address the new customer journey:
- Personalised services: Offering personalised customer service is one of the most important aspects of a customer’s digital journey. Data from Epsilon indicates that 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase when brands provide a personalised experience. Customers have higher expectations as generic, repetitive and irrelevant advertising is simply considered boring. They value timely personalised interactions that help reinforce customer trust and satisfaction.
- Directly approaching customers: Customers are preferring more contactless operations in a bid to stay safe in this pandemic. As a result, brands must reach out to where their customers are today. Home delivery has gone from a convenience to a necessity. It has expanded beyond food as pharmacies, grocery stores and other companies strive to deliver its products and services to customers confined to their homes. More people are now using low touch services as compared to before the pandemic. And this trend is here to stay.
- Emotional connection with customers: As COVID-19 continues to cause irreversible changes in our daily lives, customers are more cautious regarding their health and safety. They expect brands to offer genuine support to gain their trust during these times. According to the Edelman Trust Report, 71% of the customers that were surveyed stated that they would not be loyal customers to a brand if it puts profit over people. Focussing on fundamentals like caring for customers, employees and the community as a whole is important now more than ever.
- Providing 24/7/365 customer service: Aside from the empathetic touch, customers expect around-the-clock service. The shift to online shopping has brought a sense of immediacy among consumers. Fast deliveries and customer service are now common features of most online stores. After all, marketing is much more than just selling a product or service. Customer satisfaction is of utmost importance to retain customers, hence, organisations have enabled chatbots on their websites and personnel are on standby in order to address any concerns raised by the customers.
The digital marketing industry expects these changes to remain even after the pandemic ends. The customers will continue to expect brands to care, innovate and deliver customer-centric experiences. Digital acceleration will be another integral factor for companies to successfully interact with their audience. Moreover, organisations that embrace this new reality, stay on top of emerging trends and extend an empathetic human touch will have a competitive advantage and will be able to build strong relationships in a post COVID world.
Companies are consulting digital marketing agencies in order to get insights to understand customers and drive greater engagement on their websites. Do you have any questions about digital marketing? Feel free to reach out to us at +1(815)-981-8638 or email us at contact@targetorate.com. You can also request a callback by just dropping us a line on this link, and one of our business consultants will contact you shortly.