Year of the Customer: Top 5 Customer Experience Trends Revealed

We are well into 2016 and it has already proven to be the year of virtual reality among other new technologies aiming to deliver flawless customer experiences. The following are just a few more of the newest trends that are reinventing how enterprises spend their marketing dollars this year.

1. Getting Personal
Marketers are getting even more personal with their personalization and tapping into streams of first party data. From CRM data to Voice of the Customer (VoC) data, and leverage predictive modeling to create contextualized experiences, individually tailored experiences are changing the face of the customer experience.  With customer expectations higher than ever and their constant connectivity, hyper-contextualized personalization is on the rise to meet the demands and wants of the individual this year.

2. Entering into the Mobile-Mature World
Mobile searches have surpassed desktop searches because more and more individuals are connected on multiple devices and more websites are user friendly. In fact, Google made sure that websites were more mobile-friendly by announcing those websites that weren’t would be penalized in mobile search rankings. Finally, customers are getting the relevant, high quality website experiences they want across multiple devices. This year even greater innovation for mobile is taking place. Seamless integration between apps, eCommerce and social outlets is becoming a reality. Companies that provide excellent mobile experiences for their users will not only stand out from the crowd but grow.

3. Year of the screens
While more searches are being done on mobile devices, the trend is moving towards a post-mobile world where devices are meshing to expand beyond traditional mobile devices. From wearable devices to tablets, watches and the like, the number of screens users come in contact with on a daily basis is expanding. Because of this, marketers are faced with the task of creating and delivering seamless experiences that continue throughout all points in the user  customer journey. Keeping the experience consistent and complete is key. Brands that understand their users are interacting with numerous digital touch points will go further in keeping their customers satisfied.

4. Intent Data Will Drive Intelligent Retargeting
Retargeting is key to converting visitors to customers and those companies who are smart about the way they do their retargeting will succeed in 2016. This is done by recognizing needs and align campaigns to increase visitor engagement with pertinent messages and calls to action. Companies that take note as to why visitors are coming to their site – to research, browse or buy – are better able to guide them towards making a purchase by offering them a relevant incentive or by showing them appropriate content immediately. Even something as simple as offering free shipping or a discount can encourage a new visitor and retarget their customer experience. A more frequent shopper may need more aggressive retargeting.

5. Customer Experience Analytics Will Be King
Analytics is becoming crucial for brands to obtain a competitive advantage. By utilizing analytics, companies are able to better anticipate and deliver superior experiences to customers and potential customers. Although, at times, the data can be overwhelming, using the right type of analytics is key to extending the ROI of varying marketing efforts and creating a seamless customer experience. This year is all about using the right type of analytics streams correctly. One example of this is utilizing analytics to recognize and personalize in real-time.

This is an exciting time for marketers as they create one-to-one experiences for their customers, become more mobile mature, deliver consistent and continuous experiences, and become completely customer-centric through mastering the use of customer experience analytics.