In the modern world, if you don’t know where your customers are, you’re not going to be able to sell them anything. And if you don’t know what they’re buying, you can’t make sure they’re getting what they need. In fact, it’s not enough to just know where your customers are: you have to be able to keep track of their movements and adapt in real time. If you want them to keep coming back for more, then you’ve got to get ahead of their needs—and that means being able to anticipate what those needs are going to be.
Retailers can reap real-time engagement benefits by using a combination of social media platforms, customer service, and data analysis tools. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great for engaging with customers and providing immediate responses to their questions and complaints. They also have the added advantage of being free to use.
- Use real-time engagement to increase customer retention – Retailers can use real-time engagement to engage with their customers and help them feel heard and appreciated. When a customer feels like their voice is being heard, they’re more likely to stay loyal to the brand.
- Use real-time engagement to lower abandonment rates – Abandonment rates are high in eCommerce—people abandon their carts because they don’t feel like their questions have been answered or felt heard by the retailer. By using real-time engagement, retailers can answer questions that would otherwise be abandoned and retain those customers who might have left without ever hearing back from the company.
- Use real-time engagement as a sales tool – Real-time engagement can be used as a sales tool to help close sales faster and increase conversion rates on your site by offering personalized offers based on the information you already have about your customers (like how many items they’ve purchased). It’s also important for retailers to keep in mind that real-time engagement isn’t just about posting things on social media—it’s about being present in the moment and aware of what’s happening around you so that if there is an opportunity, like an event or promotion, you can seize it before someone else does.
Above all, retailers can take advantage of the fact that social media had no pre-determined rules. That kind of freedom means they can leverage every opportunity when it comes to engaging with customers, who are just as social and connected as they are. By focusing on what they want to achieve over the long term and leveraging real-time engagement wherever possible, retailers can take the right steps to find lasting success.
