Top Inspirational: Internet Marketing Special Tips & Tricks: Where Does Analytics Fit Into Your Customer Experience?

Analytics is integral to refining the customer experience.

Research shows that “90% of business managers believe analytics has the ability to improve sales, and another 62% report they believe analytics can increase sales by more than 20%.”

Examining the data offers the chance to learn what you did right and what needs more attention. Without analytics, you’re simply hoping that your actions make an impact.

Take the guesswork out of the equation. Track consumer behavior, record support interactions, and question the reasoning for customer dissatisfaction.

Your business can’t afford unnecessary risks. Integrate analytics into your strategy to improve the customer experience.

Transform Product Launches

Bringing new products to market is critical for businesses. And it’s not only about the actual product. Teams need to prepare for the marketing portion of the launch.

Developing messaging for a new product is a make or break moment. If done correctly, you’ll earn brand awareness and drive sales. But if you take the wrong direction, you’ll fail the product and might damage the entire brand.

Build demand for your product before it even launches. Segment your email list to send a VIP product announcement to your loyal customers. Or send samples of the new product to existing customers based on their current usage of your product.

Snapchat created a viral marketing sensation around the launch of Spectacles. The company creatively mapped out where to place vending machines for consumers to purchase the camera sunglasses. The locations ranged from high-foot traffic areas to famous attractions.

Online product launches also are significant to your business. From the landing page to the checkout page, you’re responsible for charting the customer’s purchasing path.

Most companies invest in session recording to help them understand the visitor’s journey on their websites. You’ll gather data about how consumers interact with your content and exactly what they are looking for.

For instance, Ben & Jerry’s used A/B testing for the online launch of its new peanut butter fudge ice cream. The company discovered that the best branding announcement included a cross section image of the ice cream pint and a straightforward description. Consumers also wanted access to the nutritional facts and a store locator.

Embrace analytics to revamp product launches. It’s your competitive advantage to deliver more conversions.

Connect Customer Touchpoints

The buyer’s journey consists of multiple touchpoints, and every customer interaction is essential to your brand perception.

How consumers think and feel about your company is a reflection of how you treat them. So, if buyers are disappointed with product quality, you’ll become a subpar brand in the eyes of customers.

Step up your game by analyzing all your customer touchpoints. From Facebook ads to packaging to service calls, evaluate how you listen and respond to the buyer. Are you creating an environment for customer satisfaction, or are you self-sabotaging the experience with complicated processes?

Customer touchpoints should build upon the previous interaction. The goal is to reinforce the brand’s positioning and to deliver a memorable shopping experience.

Apple is a master at customer touchpoints. Its website is easy to navigate with innovative product descriptions and access to customer support. In-store demos offer a chance to sample the product and receive explanations before purchase. The technology company builds a consistent pathway, regardless of where the buyer falls in the sales funnel.

Personalization also helps strengthen your team’s ability to provide better service. Look for opportunities to customize interactions based on the buyer’s behavior.

“Use data to create personalized experiences for your audiences. Customer interactions leave behind hints, creating digital fingerprints that can be analyzed for an abundance of information—right down to what your customers are doing or even how they’re feeling at that very moment,” says Jared Lees, senior manager of industry strategy for financial services at Adobe.

Consumers place high expectations on brands. Aim to convert visitors into customers with every interaction.

Build Frictionless Experiences

Customers run from poor shopping experiences like it’s the plague. They don’t want to waste their time or money attempting to navigate a poorly-designed website.

A frictionless experience centers around an ongoing effort to anticipate your customer’s needs, while leading them to their desired path. For example, if most consumers arrive at your site searching for articles to read, your blog link should be in the header, not buried in a menu tab.

These small changes can make a big difference toward ensuring customer convenience. Not making adjustments can lead to consumers venting their frustrations on social media—negatively affecting your brand.

“Problem pages, an unnecessary complex checkout process, ineffective forms, and JavaScript errors will all have an impact on the bottom line, which is why it is important to understand your site and its issues from the visitor perspective,” states Ben Harris, CEO of Decibel Insight.

Heatmaps offer the ability to optimize the site experience. It measures the attention people give to particular areas of a web page. This information helps you detect potential usability issues or decide how to prioritize content.

Keep buyers coming back to your website. Recognize your strengths and weaknesses with data.

Delight Customers Often

Most people live repetitive lives—wake up, go to work, tend to the family, and do it all over again. Shatter your consumers’ daily monotony by delighting them during the shopping experience.

To delight an individual means to show to a high degree of gratification. It’s all about expressing your appreciation for the person’s past deeds.

Because your brand is more than just a stuffy corporate logo, your team should take steps to express gratitude to customers. A proper thank you can easily lift the spirits of a buyer.

Moreover, a study reported that “thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.” By acknowledging your customers, you’re opening the door to establishing loyalty.

Avoiding customer satisfaction isn’t an option. And delighting consumers must happen throughout the entire brand experience—so revisit your buyer personas and customer purchasing history.

“Retailers must delight their customers at every stage of the journey—including delivery and beyond. Loyalty is hard won but easily lost and consumers judge brands on their whole experience, not just up to the point when they press the ‘buy’ button,” writes Christer Holloman, author of How to Sell Online.

Set up a plan to execute a ‘thank you’ tour. Determine your target audience and how you will initiate the engagement. Then, select your goal, an appropriate timeframe, and the platform. Below is a graphic detailing the process for a social surprise and delight campaign.

If you’re stuck on customer delight ideas, here are a few: a handwritten thank you card, a Twitter shout-out, a free swag offer, and a charity donation. No matter what you choose to do, your intentions should reflect your customer’s desires.

Go the extra mile to serve your customers. A little appreciation never hurt anyone.

Analytics Knows Best

Change how your team refines the customer experience. Keep analytics on the front lines of your sales objectives.

Use session recording to pinpoint mistakes before official product launches. Study behavioral data to polish customer touchpoints. And test marketing campaigns to successfully surprise and delight your customers.

Analytics is an asset for the customer experience.

About the Author: Shayla Price lives at the intersection of digital marketing, technology and social responsibility. Connect with her on Twitter @shaylaprice.