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Retailers to Customers: Be Our Valentines

Sales personalization is the hot topic for retailers this year. It’s all about making the customer feel special, catered to and favored. The strategy: Offer a Valentine to customers that will last far longer than Feb. 14. But with so many customers, and so much data, figuring out what each one wants from a retail shopping experience seems like a tremendous burden. If so, perhaps you’re not aiming properly.

When developing customer loyalty programs, retailers know they can't take a one-size-fits-all approach to initiatives.

When developing customer loyalty programs, retailers know they can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to initiatives.

First, identify your Valentine. He or she should be a high-value shopper, someone who comes in semi-regularly but purchases more than just the clearance items. They are customers who you’d like to return more often, but don’t. But they would, if you made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. So analyze your customer data to identify that type of customer, and then ask if they’d like to opt-in to get special offers. Second, don’t ignore the customer who is loyal and has a substantial track record at your business. These are frequently people who spread the word about their favorite spots, and nothing beats word-of mouth advertising. These valuable shoppers are already loyal — shouldn’t they be rewarded for that? Again, your data knows who these satisfied customers are, and you can delight them even more by showing some appreciation. So, ask this group also to opt in Third, give your Valentine what they really want. Oh, but they just won’t come out and tell you? Beacon technology can help with that.  Beacon technology provider Swirl Networks recently released results from beacon marketing campaigns running in retail stores across North America. Swirl analyzed in-store campaign performance data from tens of thousands of shopper interactions and surveyed shoppers who received beacon-triggered messages during a three-month period. The survey found:

  • 60 percent of shoppers open and engage with beacon-triggered content
  • 30 percent of shoppers redeem beacon-triggered offers at the point of purchase
  • 73 percent of shoppers surveyed said that beacon-triggered content and offers increased their likelihood to purchase during their store visit

Beacons offer retailers a way for retailers to understand and quantify what their customers want, and take the guesswork out. And, by asking customers to opt-in, they will feel like part of an exclusive offering, rather than the victim of an unscrupulous marketer. It’s up to the retailers to live up to their end of the bargain: In exchange for consumers’ personal data, businesses must provide valuable information at each touchpoint along the customer journey.



130

Countries

9000

Customers

54000

Stores

159000

Points of Sale

130

Countries

9000

Customers

54000

Stores

159000

Points of Sale

130

Countries

9000

Customers

54000

Stores

159000

Points of Sale