Three ways to win over consumers in 2018

Pure360 is a marketing technology company providing email and personalisation solutions for ecommerce. Pure360 works with thousands of brands including Innocent, Wagamama and Ultimo.

Clued-up consumers know what to expect from brands these days, especially in terms of marketing.

Most now know – if not expect – to receive welcome emails, basket abandonment emails and the odd offer if they haven’t bought from you in a while.

Although they’re still shopping and spending this may not last, more so in the current economic climate.

As disposable incomes get squeezed, consumers will need more convincing in order to part with their hard-earned cash.

So how can brands win over consumers, get them to buy their products or services and build brand loyalty in 2018? Here’s three ways to do just that.

Relevance

With the number of emails being received by consumers continuing to rise, brands need to make sure the emails they send are relevant to the recipient.

“Sending more emails doesn’t always equals more sales”

Blanket campaigns may be just about acceptable when a sale is on, but if brands want their customers to purchase regularly and consistently throughout the year, their communications need to be timely, targeted and, above all, relevant.

Sending more emails doesn’t always equals more sales.

Trust

Consumers are skeptical and they need to feel they can trust your brand. One way you can do this is by using social proof.

Make sure you include good reviews and feedback prominently in emails, on product pages and in the footer of your website. Anywhere that consumers and potential consumers will see them.

“As retailers collect more data about consumers, transparency is key”

This helps the consumer to understand that you’re a reputable retailer and that their money, and subsequently products or services, will be handled expertly by you.

Also, as retailers collect more data about consumers, transparency is key, even more so with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force in May 2018.

Historically, brands haven’t been clear about how and why they collect data and what it is used for. Now, for consumers to feel comfortable with their brand, they’ll need to.

Make sure your consumers know that they’re making the right choice by choosing you.


Customer experience

Improve the customer experience at every touchpoint possible. Customers will notice and they will be more inclined to shop with you again and again.

48% of consumers buy more from retailers who personalise the shopping experience across channels. (Source: MyBuys, 2015)

Consumers know that when they receive an email from you, they’re one of just thousands, if not millions.

“Email personalisation needs to go beyond simply using the customer’s first name”

Email personalisation needs to go beyond simply using the customer’s first name. It needs to be multichannel and powered by real-time customer behaviour.

By personalising to include previous purchases, product recommendations and also triggering these emails based on behaviour, you’re increasing the chances of consumers engaging with your brand.

Pairing email personalisation with website personalisation will offer a seamless customer experience that consumers now expect.


We’ve moved on from keeping up with our competitors to an era of keeping up with our customers. It’s now paramount for brands to start delivering on increased consumer expectations.


Komal Helyer is head of marketing at Pure360

Pure360 is a marketing technology company providing email and personalisation solutions for ecommerce. Pure360 works with thousands of brands including Innocent, Wagamama and Ultimo.