Conversational Commerce

What is Conversational Commerce?

Conversational commerce refers to the intersection of messaging apps and shopping. Meaning, the trend toward interacting with businesses through messaging and chat apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Talk, and WeChat. Or through voice technology, like Amazon’s Echo product, which interfaces with companies through voice commands.

Consumers can chat with company representatives, get customer support, ask questions, get personalized recommendations, read reviews, and click to purchase all from within messaging apps. With conversational commerce, the consumer engages in this interaction with a human representative, chatbot, or a mix of both.

On the business side, companies can use chatbots to automate customer service messages. It’s how companies are enabling consumers to buy from them without ever leaving the messaging app they are using. Now companies can send order confirmations in Facebook Messenger, as well as shipping and delivery notifications. Using chatbots, businesses can resolve customer service issues, provide recommendations, create wishlists, and interact with buyers in real-time.

The Market Shift

Consumers are increasingly relying on messaging apps for all forms of communication, whether personal, business, or commerce. Increasingly, consumers are using chat to find and select products and services, and to complete the payment process, all without having to call, email, or even visit a brand’s website. Everything is happening within the messaging app.

Research firm Juniper reported that more than 94 trillion digital messages were sent in 2015, with the bulk being through email. However, instant messaging has just about reached its tipping point, with the total number of instant messages sent overtaking emails by mid-2016.

Messaging apps are becoming the preferred means of communication. According to eMarketer, 1.4 billion consumers used messaging apps in 2015, which is up 31.6% from 2014, and that number is expected to hit 2 billion by 2018.

What That Means for Consumers

Chat companies are now partnering with brands to make it simpler for customers to buy from them. Facebook Messenger, for example, has partnered with Uber to make it possible for customers to order an Uber driver without leaving the messaging app – the conversation. Amazon’s Echo – a voice activated tool – has partnered with Capital One so that the bank’s customers can inquire about their balance, make a payment, or check recent transactions, all through Echo.

Not only is conversational commerce simpler for consumers who, thanks to messaging apps, no longer need to toggle back and forth between text conversations and websites to gather information and make purchases, but it’s also a step closer to the attention you might get from a sales associate in the store. When ordering from a website, you can read reviews to get a sense of whether a product will work for you, but using chat you can ask for help comparing your options – more like the advice you would receive in-store.

Reducing the steps required, and the number of information sources consumers need to turn to, shortens the distance between prospect and purchase.

Why Brands Should Opt For Targeted Communication

Brands today actively leverage mobile-friendly channels like Facebook, Instagram and SMS to communicate with customers. They create blogs/vlogs to improve engagement, go for SEO to ensure better reach and maintain a strong presence on social media to grab eyeballs. Many have adopted smart technologies to push newsletter subscriptions to keep people aware of attractive deals and discounts.  

But the problem is that too much data is available on many channels, which may lead to irrelevance and trigger consumer backlash instead of bringing desired results. 

Here’s how we explain it. “Imagine you have bought a pair of sneakers from a brand, did not like them and shared negative feedback with the company. But the very next day, you get an SMS from the brand asking you to check out its new collection. The customer is bound to get annoyed as the marketing communication is not meant for him.”

To counter this issue, brands need to part ways with spray-and-pray marketing tactics, said Borkar. Instead, they should opt for a targeted, personalised approach so that their communication reaches the right audience. 

Interestingly, specific customer data platform (CDP) allows brands to do just that. First, it collects all user data stored across various touchpoints throughout a customer’s buying cycle. The platform then breaks the data silos using big data analytics and obtains actionable insights from the input.

How AI Drives Sales, Converts Prospects 

AI tools like chatbots powered by natural language processing (NLP) and AR/VR have recently gained popularity as they provide a better user experience. Chatbots are especially becoming widely used and accepted. Consider this data from Zendesk’s CX Trends 2022: Around 69% of users say they are willing to interact with a bot for product recommendations and enquiries, a 23% jump from last year. 

“A chatbot is a great tool to engage with customers, on-site or through their preferred communication channel. It personalises the experience and eliminates the need for human intervention when queries are simple and can be easily resolved,” said Borkar.

AI chatbots can transform how businesses manage CX. Its Mobile Service Cloud (MSC) is a unique offering that enables brands to integrate the company’s chatbot with their websites and communication channels. 

While most customer interactions happen through the chatbot, complex queries are sent to a centralised system operated by a human employee. When the employee at the backend resolves the same, it is communicated to consumers via their preferred messaging channels. 

Moreover, to accommodate the new Bharat users who prefer to communicate in vernacular languages, the company helps brands build their chatbots in Indian languages. “Most of our clients in India want to have their chatbots in Hindi (after English). However, we can do that in other languages, too,” said Borkar.

The Tech Stack For CX Success

Today, nearly 80% of shoppers say they are more likely to purchase when brands offer them a personalised and seamless experience. This majority mindset proves how crucial CX is for a brand’s acceptance and sustainable growth.

Companies wishing to succeed in the long run should quickly respond to up-and-coming consumer trends. According to Zendesk, two upcoming trends will shape customer experience in the coming years – AI and automation and conversational customer service. 

The CX SaaS firm’s report has further stated that more than 70% of customers expect conversational experiences when they engage with brands. 

“Customers seek seamless, on-demand experiences with the brands. That’s why conversational commerce is so important in the digital world,” concurred Borkar. 

Businesses in India are pretty optimistic about the future of conversational commerce. According to the CX Maturity Report, 79% of domestic companies think chat and social channels are most used by customers today, and all of them predict that this will remain the case in the future. 

Consumers seem equally confident about AI’s potential to transform experiences. According to Pegasystems, 84% of Indian consumers agree that AI can provide better customer experiences, improve brand reputation, and increase customer loyalty.

The adoption of AI in all spheres of business has also grown significantly since the onset of the pandemic. According to the findings by Brookings, India is among the global top 10 in terms of tech advancements and funding in AI companies. 

Even then, AI/ML adoption across marketing functions globally is a paltry 17%, suggests Gartner. This shows a massive gap between what is expected from brands and what is delivered. 

AI, automation and conversational commerce will continue to play a crucial role in reimagining CX in the coming years, and brands must take note of these trends to future-proof their business. Of course, companies will go a long way if they can adopt, implement and utilise the right tech stack for targeted and sticky CX.  

11 Powerful Email Marketing Tips You Need to Know

11 Powerful Email Marketing Tips You Need to Know

 

Are you struggling to get good returns from your email marketing campaigns?

If you answered that yes, then continue reading to get powerful email marketing tips that you need to know right now.

Allow us to share these tips:

1. Use the Double Opens Strategy

When you use “double opens strategy,” more subscribers will open your emails.

This means a better chance of driving more revenue from these email campaigns.

So: what is double opens strategy exactly? Simply put, it means you should resend the same email to the subscribers who did not open your first email, but with a different subject line.

Why? Because 7 out of 10 people on your email list won’t open your email the first time. By re-sending the same email to these non-openers you can boost your open rates and email marketing ROI.

Before you resend the same emails, pay attention to these things:

·         Create better subject lines that captivate non-openers to open your emails.

·         Optimize your preheader text.

·         Pay attention to your send time.

·         Don’t resend it straight away – wait for some time. Ideally, you should wait for 3-5 days before you resend the same email to non-openers.

 

2. Use a Cliffhanger in Your Subject Line

What is the best way to get more people to open your emails? The most obvious way is by engaging them, which is true. But there’s more.

You can hook your email subscribers with your subject lines and make them curious by using a cliffhanger.

How?

Used as an old-school copywriting technique, cliffhangers holds something back from the readers which ultimately will drive them to know more.

Here are two real-life examples to show you how to use this in your subject lines.

I received this subject line from Orbitz, a travel fare aggregator website:

 “Wake up like this…”

This one is from The Trip Tribe.

 “The secret to a great vacation…”

 Because both these subject lines are incomplete and an ellipsis follows them, it compelled me to open the emails.

Caution: Don’t overuse this technique as this can annoy your subscribers.

 

3. Pay Preheader the Same Attention You Give to Your Subject Lines

Preheader text is super important. The more enticing your preheader text, the better your open rates.

I’d say utilizing the preheader space effectively is one of the easiest way to increase engagement. But the most common mistakes that marketers make: they neglect this space.

It’s not that they don’t craft a preview text, but they rarely use it to complement or supplement the subject lines. And they don’t pay it the same attention as they give to their subject lines.

So, learn to optimize both your preheader text and subject lines.

In the following example, Pottery Barn does a great job with its preheader space by utilizing it to supplement the subject line:

Remember – your preheader is just as important as the subject line itself.

 

 

4. Make Your CTA Buttons Contextual

As a marketer, you work hard to craft an eye-catching subject line and write compelling email copy.

But if you aren’t crafting CTAs that encourage subscribers to click on your messages, your campaigns could fall short.  Instead of using something generic like “shop now” or “buy now’’, come up with something that hooks your readers interest a little bit more. Also, when crafting CTA ask these questions to yourself:

Is it descriptive?

Is it easy to act on?

Is it hard to miss?

In the following example, Blue Nile does a great job with its CTA – the button is creating a strong sense of urgency that can help in driving action. The CTA button also gels well with the subject line and copy of the email.

Contextual Call-to-action

 

5. Make Engagement a Priority

 

Most marketers approach email marketing with a short term goal in mind – to boost sales.

That’s a natural thing to do; after all, the primary goal of your marketing email is to increase sales.

But it’s actually the opposite of what you should be doing. You should keep the focus on building a relationship with your subscribers.

People join your email list because they want to know more about your business, not because they want to buy products from you.

Remember engagement is the key to driving good returns from your email campaigns in the long run.

 

6. Keep the Subject Line Concise to Standout in Mobile

Want to increase your email open rates? Trim your subject lines!

Do you know 51% of emails are opened on mobile devices these days?

You don’t have much space to draw in your readers, so try to keep your subject lines concise and compelling that will make readers want to know more.

Now you must be thinking how to keep your subject lines short, enticing, and captivating all at the same time? Here’s how:

·         Use numbers, symbols or emojis.

·         Use creativity.

·         Here are a few examples to show you how:

·         Clear and concise subject line

·         Short and enticing subject line

·         Personalized subject line

 

7. Use Frequency Capping

We all know that no matter the channel over messaging can lead to frustrated customers and email marketing is no exception.

Every subscriber has their limit when it comes to how many messages they receive, and if you cross that limit there are consequences.

Nearly 46% of subscribers will mark your email as spam or unsubscribe from your email list:

Why subscribers mark you spam?

Now the question is how to avoid over emailing your subscribers? Well, you can use frequency capping!

Frequency capping is a feature that allows you to limit the number of mailers your subscribers will receive during a particular time. You can set the value to the desired number to avoid the hazards of over emailing.

While this may be a common sense tip, it isn’t a common practice, especially for B2C companies.

As a subscriber, we all have received a promotional mailer, a cart-recovery mailer, and a welcome mailer from a brand in a day. By capping your email frequency, you can prevent that from happening to your subscribers.

 

8. A/B Test Your Email Copy Frequently

Regular split testing is one of the best ways to improve your email campaigns.

The more you test, the more patterns you’ll start to spot, and the better you’ll be able to adjust your email strategy.

But when doing A/B testing do not pay much attention to your opinion as your gut instinct can be surprisingly far off the mark when it comes to what will work in email marketing.

So it’s incredibly important to base your decisions on data rather than guesswork or intuition.

What elements of the email should you split test?

·         From line

·         Subject line

·         Preview text

·         Email copy

·         Call to action

·         Test only one element at a time (either subject line or preheader text) for the most accurate results.

·         Use A/B testing, not your guesswork to pick what’s right.

 

 

9. Maintain Your Email Lists

 To get good results from email marketing, you need to remove the bad addresses that affect your reputation as well as your overall deliverability.

 

It’s not an email marketing tip that gets written about, but it’s as critical.

Too many marketers keep the focus on growing their email list, but they forget that there is no benefit of having more people on the list if you won’t reach the inboxes of your subscribers.

Don’t spend all your energy trying to get more people on your list; direct some of your energy toward reaching the inboxes of your subscribers, too.

 

10. Keep It Short

I have noticed that shorter emails are more likely to land in the Primary tab.

Is that a coincidence? This is a topic of much debate. And there is no conclusive evidence.

If you don’t believe that the length of the email plays a role to land into the Primary tab, then you can conduct an A/B test.

 

11. Stay Updated

Email marketing has changed significantly, and it is continually evolving. What has worked in the past may not work now or in the near future. And we all know that.

That’s why most email marketers think the only path to success is by learning more. But they forget that unlearning what is not working is also essential.

When marketers fall victim to some email marketing myths and misconceptions, their conversion from this channel falls.

Be aware of what’s not working and avoid those mistakes at all costs – if you want to convert your subscribers into customers.

To Sum Up

Email marketing has been around for years, but only a few marketers have mastered it.

If you want to master this channel quickly, this is this important thing you need to know:

Make sure your emails focus on what your audience wants to hear and not necessarily what you want to tell them.

Keep that in mind, and you’ll be on your way to maximizing success via this channel.

 

 

 

Also, don’t forget to pay attention to these important email marketing tips.