Heading into back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons, a great customer experience means transparency across channels. Consumers will engage with new brands across all channels, including online, in-store and on social media platforms, as long as the content is relevant and trustworthy, according to new data released from customer experience automation (CXA firm ActiveCampaign.
In fact, nearly half of the 1,000 US consumers polled said trustworthiness and transparency are among their top motivators when engaging with a new brand via social media. This is opposed to price and location, which are historically the top drivers of purchases. When looking at just the millennial population, that percentage increases to 58 percent. For a generation that has grown up online, the bar is high for them when it comes to trusting new brands. To create great experiences for customers of all ages, businesses need an omnichannel approach with consistent and authentic messaging.
“Seeing how important trust and transparency are to customers really resonates with us at ActiveCampaign,” said Sameer Kazi, president of ActiveCampaign, in a news release. “We just crossed 10,000 positive customer reviews on G2, a distinction that only 17 products have on the review site. We attribute our success and growth to our highly satisfied and engaged customers. Every customer values trust and transparency, and the data from our survey highlights that very clearly.”
It’s not enough for brands to open a shop and wait for the sales to come in. This survey revealed that the content before, during and after purchases matters, and different age groups have different preferences—making it crucial to send tailored product content to customers across all channels. In fact, one-third said they would engage after seeing relevant or 1:1 ads. Seventy percent of consumers have purchased from a social ad within the past 30 days, and 76 percent plan to purchase gifts in-person this upcoming holiday season, revealing that a multichannel strategy is key to providing the best overall experience and bringing in repeat customers all year.
Additional findings include:
Brands that run “shops” on social platforms like Instagram are attracting more customers
Six in 10 (59 percent) consumers—and 76 percent of Gen Z—say they’ve discovered new brands this way. For small businesses that are just starting and apprehensive about selling on social media, it’s a good way to begin a strong and holistic social media strategy.
Influencer-backed brands hold more weight with Gen Z and millennials
Nearly half (44 percent) of consumers—and 53 percent of Gen Z and 65 percent of millennials—would purchase from a small business on social media based on influencer recommendations. Because of this, retail experts predict we will see a focus on small business shopping during the 2022 holiday season.
Look to apparel and the food/beverage industries when seeking inspiration
Four in 10 (42 percent) consumers made purchases from clothing/apparel-centered social ads—50 percent of Gen Z and 62 percent of millennials—and 46 percent of consumers made purchases from food/beverage centered social ads in the past 30 days. If smaller brands are looking for social ad inspiration, these industries are good places to start.
Successful brands that are using social media as a means to engage with customers have other solutions and strategies in place to complete their omnichannel approach. For example, 89 percent of B2C businesses using CXA also leverage social media to share information with existing and potential customers to ensure those customers receive the right message at the right time. And 44 percent of ecommerce businesses using CXA also leverage an online community to engage with customers, encourage review of products and promote brand advocacy.
“Through the help of our digital agency, Secret Key, and ActiveCampaign, we’ve been able to define our one-to-one approach, making it possible to send personalized messages, tailored to each individual buyer,” said Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, founder and CEO of L.G.R. “This will ensure that current and potential customers are reached by communications that align with their interests and are based on the actions they take on our site and/or in stores.”
