Hype actions have become a constant, when the goal is to take advantage of a trending topic on social media to be capitalized on as a marketing strategy. Indeed, one cannot do without this movement; however, the available technological solutions can and should be much better utilized to attract consumers, turn them into engaged and loyal customers.
The big leap of the moment, necessary for online businesses, is to take ownership of innovations to promote personalization in customer relationships. Being an e-commerce does not mean that the consumer is willing to have mechanized, robotic, cold interactions.
Not at all. Centralization and automation of contact channels cannot be synonymous with impersonal communication. The advantage today is that the available artificial intelligence resources already allow the development of solutions that personalize the relationships between company and consumer, promoting a complete and assertive customer journey.
It is not about the famous technophobia of ‘machines will replace people.’ Robots can and should replace operational work, freeing human intelligence for strategic tasks, creativity, and intelligence proper. But robots can and should be designed for interaction with consumers that capture and respond to each consumer’s specificities.
An example of personalization in service, provided by artificial intelligence, is what can redefine the concept of a store. Whether physical or virtual, standardized service will give way to personalized relationships, enabled by algorithms and increasingly deep and fast data analysis, practically in real-time.
Purchase history, social media interactions, words used by the consumer both in speech and in searches, how this consumer behaves in the store – all of this provides information for technology to deliver answers to the customer that meet their personal, specific preferences, to satisfy their desires.
Thus, retailers will not only be able to meet what the consumer requests but, more importantly, to anticipate that request and need. The collection, storage, and analysis of data through artificial intelligence expand exponentially; the generative capacity of technology allows for segmented, personalized, tailor-made responses.
The trend is that, in the not-so-distant future, retail stores will become as personalized as user profiles are today on streaming platforms or music platforms, for example, which already offer these consumers menus of movies and music that not only cater to preferences but also keep these users engaged and loyal.
In this sense, the presentation of launches, discounts, and promotions can be tailored for each customer. The customer’s behavior at each moment can also be understood.
That is, despite the search history, purchases, and views, artificial intelligence tracks any changes in taste or even the consumer’s sentiment at that moment of interaction. Thus, an artificial intelligence chatbot detects any mood variation in the face of frustration from not having their need met, for example.
Investing in technology providers that offer an ecosystem of solutions (management, customer service, sales) proves to be essential for retailers to incorporate a full digital transformation. After all, segmented and personalized actions are of no use if, when the customer needs to continue their journey, the system is not structurally prepared to handle demands and flows.
By César Baleco, founder and CEO of Grupo Irrah*, a technology hub for business management and communication
