How do the best B2C brands engage customers through mobile?

In the recent years, we heard enough of “go mobile, or go home”. Mobile commerce is growing rapidly, and the growth rate is not slowing down. Online shoppers increasingly use mobile thanks to convenience and availability it provides. Mobile users constantly browse the shop offers, compare and check prices. Increased mobile usage happens early in the morning, later during the day switches to laptops as the main device for browsing, and from afternoon/evening hours, shoppers favorite devices are tablets or phablets. However, only the best B2C brands create a unique, memorable customer experience using specific mobile strategy to drive customer engagement.

Customer engagement with mobile-optimized experience  

There is a plenty of devices with multiple versions of different operating systems, screen resolutions, mobile web apps, native apps that provide different features for the user. So how do the best B2C brands ensure great mobile experience across all platforms?

Customers do not really care which device they use, every time they expect the best experience and customer service. Biggest B2B brands create a unique, memorable experience across all the channels. Online shoppers use different devices on every step of the buying process. Brands have to lead the customer from entering the online store, regarding the device used. Personalized mobile strategy, including e-mail campaigns, feeds the users with the most accurate, high quality information. Whether it’s a mobile version of a website, responsive design website or a native mobile app, they all have to be consistent to create the best mobile shopping experience. Users need the feeling of integrity and have to be fully aware of the brand and its shopping experience.

Engaging customers with geolocalization

Another great example of using technology to drive customer engagement is the geolocalization functionality. Great example is Starbucks with their clear messaging, that points the customers to the closest store to purchase a discounted cup of coffee. I’m sure that you have experienced the localization messaging before when walking around your favorite shopping center – soon after you enter the message appears “Visit us now and get 20% off with the coffee of your choice”. You just have to click “claim” and you’re ready to buy your coffee – that’s called customer engagement! Nowadays, big B2C brands use this solution to attract and engage people to make a repeated purchase, pointing them to the nearest brick-and-mortar store. Geolocalization is a great example of a real-time, actually “right-time” mobile marketing, that increase your sales and retention in brick-and-mortar stores.

Customer Service that users love

Great customer service, equals great engagement. However, it is surprising that only the best B2C brands offer the same customer service in mobile, as on the full website. Mobile shoppers expect immediate help both in-store and on mobile devices, and if they wait too long, well they go somewhere else.

The best solution to bridge the gap between the in-store help and mobile experience, is to offer instant live help on the spot, inside the mobile application. Big brands let the users connect with the product expert, for whom they usually have to wait in-store. Actually more and more mobile shopper prefer messaging due to noisy environments and the possibility of multitasking. Customer can find out details from the product expert while browsing the web, talking to friends or personnel inside the brick-and-mortar store. The best B2C brands also remember that mobile chats have to be perfectly optimized for the mobile shopping experience, allowing user to simultaneously browse the web, or for example contact the customer service with 1 push of a button.

Leading the customer journey to drive engagement

To provide great customer experience that drives huge engagement, marketers need to explore different mobile solutions in order to provide value on every step of the buying process. Best B2C brands improve the in-store experience by offering branded mobile apps with price scanning solutions, product comparison or even detailed product videos, to help the customer choose the best product. In-store live chats ensure the highest quality of customer service without having to actually wait for the real person. Best B2C brands implement the newest technology to make the purchase easier – all within a mobile app! Customer uses brands’ mobile application to view the products, add them to the shopping cart and finally purchase through the mobile device – the final step is to pick up the products at the counter.

To provide the best customer experience that drives engagement and loyalty, brands personalize the service at every touchpoint. Offering the same seamless experience and information, regarding the channel of always-connected customer is the key to engagement success. And how is your brand driving customer engagement through mobile? Do you have proven tactics that increase the engagement and loyalty of your customer?