Retailers aren’t communicating enough with their customers.
Yes, you read that correctly. Consumers want more contact from retailers.
The IBM Institute for Business Value 2011 Retail Industry Study surveyed more than 28,500 people from 15 countries. The overwhelming majority — 76 percent — said that retailers didn’t communicate with them enough.
Now, retailers, that’s not a green light for you to bombard customers with messages every hour.
A weekly message to advertise consumable products at a grocery store is great. But for purchases made less frequently — for example, jeans or a suit — customers don’t need to hear from you all the time.
While updating your website daily is a good idea, email messages should be sent weekly, not daily. Also, retailers should send a coupon or offer when emailing customers.
The survey also found that retailers are doing well at branding, according to an article in Convenience Store News. More than two-thirds of respondents said they were aware of retailer-branded products.
Consumers also indicated that they are comfortable giving details about themselves, including their media usage (75 percent), demographics (73 percent), name and address (61 percent), and location (56 percent) for a more tailored shopping experience.
In addition, purchasing patterns show a shift online with 71 percent of consumers seeking to shop digitally using technology, including websites, mobile phones and social networking sites.
It’s up to retailers to make sure that they’re staying in close contact with their customers without being overbearing.
Source: Convenience Store News, January 2012
