In brick-and-mortar retail, merchants will continue to face challenges in 2024, especially regarding omnichannel strategies. Consumer behavior is rapidly evolving, making it difficult to build loyal customer relationships. For brands and retailers, success is no longer measured solely by revenue—a dedicated and loyal customer base has become equally important. To stay competitive, companies must re-evaluate their customer engagement strategies and adapt to the modern needs of their customers.
The key to strong customer loyalty lies in personalized communication. With marketing budgets needing to be deployed very strategically, this becomes increasingly challenging. While there is great excitement about AI, drone deliveries, and virtual worlds, many foundational tasks remain to be done to provide customers with a true omnichannel experience.
The Foundation for Successful Loyalty Strategies
First and foremost, systems and data must be interconnected seamlessly. This is where the right software architecture comes into play, providing the foundation for targeted loyalty strategies. Once these initial steps are completed, the question of the right loyalty programs quickly arises. Do traditional tactics already reflect modern customer preferences like sustainability, ethics, experiences, and inclusion? And do they truly provide valuable insights to plan further loyalty measures?
In addition to the right technological solutions, retailers in 2024 should also consider other aspects when deciding on the optimal loyalty strategy. The classic system of loyalty cards and point accumulation has long been effective. However, today, companies face the added challenge of conveying emotion, brand essence, and corporate values to convert a customer into a loyal patron.
How can the right loyalty tactics ensure a more targeted market positioning of the brand? Are points and discount promotions still the right choice? How can loyalty be made seamless, and how do the needs of online and offline customers differ?
All these questions seem to point to one solution: omnichannel. Our diva-e retail expert, Andreas Frary, reveals the technological prerequisites for this and the biggest challenges in this year's Digital Bash on eCommerce.
diva-e Contribution at the Digital Bash E-Commerce on January 23, 2024
Watch now (german only):
GoToMarket Manager MACH & Retail at diva-e
Andreas has been active in the retail business for over 20 years. He supports companies in digital transformation within the realms of e-commerce, omnichannel, and customer loyalty, positioning himself as a bridge between business and IT. In recent years, Andreas has successfully led composable commerce and loyalty projects, always aligning customer needs with technological capabilities. He focuses on a clear growth path through customer-centric and scalable platforms, ensuring a short time-to-market and an excellent customer experience.
With over 70 annual events that participants can register for free of charge, DIGITAL BASH is the largest web event series in the digital industry in the German-speaking region. Similar to edge, it targets all digitally savvy individuals: decision-makers and executives, software developers, marketing and e-commerce specialists, and those aspiring to enter these fields.
Aiming to provide participants with a unique knowledge advantage that propels both them and their companies forward, the platform has already captivated more than 30,000 registered users.
