The goal for digital operations is to create a personalized shopping experience that is the same during the holiday season as other times in the year. DigiCommerce has long been an evangelist of personalization and customization of the digital experience. Many of DigiCommerce integration projects involve personalizing the user experience which may involve customization of the digital infrastructure. It is vital for retailers to have the ability to map out the customer journey of potential customers.
More Flexibility
This gives managers the ability to use eCommerce features to guide customers as retailers want. The relative ability to guide customers is even more valuable at a time where managers can control little else affecting business. This makes for a much more targets and a generally more efficient digital operation. Especially during the holiday season. The mere fact that the personalized shopping experience is becoming normalized is a cause for urgency for most businesses. With lower margins this year, this holiday season will be more competitive than ever. Businesses who can not favorably compete during this 2020 holiday season will face a precarious 2021.
Manager’s responsibility
The right investment is key. The right digital investment can indeed still be made even at this time. Personalization is a benefit to marketing and customer service teams. Retailers must be attentive to how their digital operations reflect this in providing a personalized experience. In doing so, managers must focus on the key features of eCommerce that drives a personalized customer journey. There are three main aspects of eCommerce managers must zero in on to improve the overall customer experience on sites.
Big Data and AI
Data analytics and artificial intelligence is ultimately the biggest tool online stores have when it comes to personalization. Artificial intelligence is the major weapon for personalization of online stores. It is what facilitates customer journeys with product suggestions which impact customer choices the dollar value of baskets during check out. AI is at work with previous purchases and searches. Predictive searching as well. It allows retailers to better understand customer habits. In turn, this gives businesses a better idea of what to market to certain customers. It also makes for a more cost efficient and generally efficient marketing and logistics operation. All the major eCommerce platforms design the customer experience with AI tools. However, there are variations in the AI tools used or available.
Digital Agencies and AI
This is where digital agencies can help. Digital agencies like DigiCommerce take the best AI enabled features of eCommerce platforms like BigCommerce, SAP, Elastic Path, and others. These features are then enhanced with customizations or even third party applications. The goal is to provide a digital customer experience in line with a businesses strategic goal. Instead of your digital operation working around your eCommerce technology it must be the other way round.
Standard
The major eCommerce platforms also support loyalty programs and promotions. And most have AI capabilities. AI help businesses effectively present promotion offerings and loyalty programs to the relevant part of the customer base. This saves an amount of human resources in a holiday season where staff are normally overworked. Additionally, the nature of AI is to learn from what has previously occurred. As a result, with the power AI this 2020 holiday season will be valuable in preparing eCommerce personalization going forward.
Basically, personalization has become the key selling point of eCommerce technology. The holiday season provides the best avenue for businesses to capitalize on this. But it is also made obvious by the kind of shopping behavior that is anticipated this holiday season. Since most companies have gone digital it, makes the digital space intensely competitive as brands battle for traffic.
Focusing on personalizing all aspects of the customer journey will help retain customers and help stay competitive. Especially at a time many firms are yet to make this investment. A growing number are enhancing digital operations for a more personalized customer which shows the best time for this kind of investment is now. Consult agencies like DigiCommerce to find out more about how online stores can benefit from this.