These days, unless they’re on a video streaming platform like Netflix or Hulu, customization is something consumers feel like they have to pay extra for—like guacamole at Chipotle. Although it should be easier than ever to customize experiences, it’s not a standard part of the consumer process. But when it is built-in to the process, it makes consumers feel valued, gives them a sense of loyalty toward your brand and company, and gives them a high opinion of you.
Customization can go a long way. It makes each consumer experience unique and can even help you forge stronger consumer connections with your customer-base than ever before. Why don’t more brands customize their consumers’ experiences, then? Some brands are deterred by the cost and amount of effort it would take, but there are several different ways you can customize your consumers’ experiences and forge a stronger connection with them without going over budget.
Why It’s Important to Connect with Consumers
When you connect with your consumers, incredible things start to happen. You build trust between your brand and customer-base which leads to customer loyalty. When they are connected to you they feel valued and will provide you with valuable feedback that could change your company’s course for the better—you will have access to important data. Your company will stand out not only from competitors but other businesses in general.
There are numerous other reasons that it’s important to connect with consumers and it doesn’t always take a lot of effort. You can simply ask for and sincerely consider feedback. You can get on social media and build a community there, interacting with and engaging your customer base. You can implement programs and processes that will customize your consumers’ experiences with your brand.
Strong connections are powerful, and if you aren’t working on forging stronger connections with your consumers already, you should be.
Ways You Can Customize for Stronger Consumer Connections
To customize your consumers’ experiences doesn’t mean you have to deliver their favorite magazine to their door each morning and have a car waiting when they head to work (although that would work well at a hotel). There are a lot of small and even simple things that you can do to customize your consumers’ experiences with your brand and forget strong connections—here are some of the top ways.
Implement AI solutions.
With all of the technology out there these days, it’s easy to find a software that uses AI to collect data from site visitors and display the most relevant information for them first. If you are a clothing retailer, AI could detect that they’ve been on the hunt for a new pair of pants, and when they come to visit your site, the software will ensure that your best-selling jeans pop up first and help to customize their experience.
Include “thank you” notes in each order.
It doesn’t take much extra effort on your part, but a thank you note can go a long way. Not only are you delivering your customer’s order, but you’re letting them know that they matter to you and that you appreciate their business. Better yet, send handwritten thank you notes (if your customer-based isn’t too big)! It will not only let them know that you appreciate their business, but that you cared enough about it to take the time to write them a personal thank you.
Offer a risk-free trial/sample.
Sometimes customers aren’t completely sure that your product, or one of your products, is the one that they want. If they’re given the opportunity to test it out before making that final decision, they will be more confident in their choice and you. Azazie is an online retailer of wedding party and bridal wear that, instead of making customers purchase something only to find out it isn’t what they thought, lets them try it at home before making their final decision.
Know each customer as an individual.
If you have too large of a customer-base, this can be hard to do. But making an effort to know and remember each consumer can go a long way, making them feel more valued and enabling you to provide them with a customized experience. Even if you simply remember their name and greet them personally when they walk in the door, it can go a long way.
Personalize emails.
Everybody gets what seems like a million marketing emails and newsletters a day. Personalizing emails not only with each consumers’ name but with location-specific deals and updates as well as any special deals for events like the consumer’s birthday, anniversary, etc., can make a difference and customize their experience.
There are a lot of benefits of customizing your consumers’ experiences including forging stronger connections which can lead to long-term loyalty and more. If you haven’t implemented customization yet, start now! It’s easier than ever to create a custom experience for consumers, even by doing something as simple as sending a thank you note in their order.
How are you using customization in your business to create a stronger connection with customers? Share your insights in the comments.
