Top Strategies to Engage Customers and Build Loyalty in Phygital Commerce
- Posted on February 7, 2024 by Robert
- Reading time about 5 minutes
Hassle is not a word for modern-day customers. They like convenience, experience, and stress-free shopping. When digital shopping platforms emerged, there was a prediction that the era of in-store shopping would end. But that didn’t happen. There was a brief phase during the pandemic when in-store commerce witnessed a steep decline. People refrained from visiting stores and relied heavily on the e-commerce mode of shopping. This was the same time when a new way of commerce emerged—phygital commerce.
As the name suggests, it is a portmanteau of physical and digital commerce, blending the characteristics of both to benefit customers. This blog will discuss how to build loyalty in phygital commerce and what strategies can boost customer engagement. Besides, it will also highlight the importance of SaaS loyalty solutions and loyalty program software.
Phygital Commerce and Loyalty
Phygital commerce represents a powerful convergence of physical and digital retail, offering massive opportunities for businesses to enhance customer engagement and drive loyalty. By integrating Phygital touchpoints into their loyalty programs, businesses can create personalized experiences, streamline transactions, and gain valuable insights into customer behavior. By embracing the Phygital revolution, businesses can forge stronger connections with their customers and build lasting loyalty in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Let’s discuss the top strategies to engage customers and build loyalty in phygital commerce.
Focus on Personalized Omnichannel Experiences
Phygital commerce bridges the gap between physical and digital modes. It helps businesses deliver the value and experience new-age customers need. By focusing on delivering personalized omnichannel experiences, a business can build loyalty in phygital commerce.
By using artificial intelligence to analyze customer behavior and preferences, businesses can assist buyers in their shopping decisions. When a customer gets suggestions tailored to their taste, it engages them for a long time.
Another leading trend in phygital universe is the implantation of AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) in their virtual try-on features. This automatically boosts the customers’ interest in physical stores.
Now let’s discuss how customized loyalty programs can make a big impact. Customer data is a treasure trove. Any business that can harness the power of data to create highly personalized loyalty programs will have a bigger piece of the pie.
Create Immersive Experiences
Organically, phygital commerce is known for providing interactive and immersive experiences. In this era of smartphones and touch-screen devices, it’s important to think digital. Digital signs and touch screens in physical stores multiply the customer experience tenfold.
Glamourize the shopping experience for the customers. The netizen wants VIP treatment. Going live from the stores and showcasing top products hooks them like nothing else. The presence and impact of social media cannot be underestimated in this digital era. Leveraging social media to win loyalty can be a game-changer. Businesses can reach out to their target customers through social media platforms, taking engagement and personalization to the next level.
You can also offer immersive experiences by organizing in-store events or learning sessions to create a community vibe of inclusivity.
Bank on Customer Data and Analytics
Customer insights are the key to business success in phygital era. By using analytics tools, you can gain valuable insights into consumer behavior. Each time a customer interacts with a phygital touchpoint, they provide data. Once you’ve specialized in customer input, you can hit the mark by offering personalized communications and offers.
Customer data reveals buying patterns and preferences, which help businesses create accurate marketing strategies. The best way to unleash the data power is through AI chatbots and virtual helpers. AI-powered chatbots will keep customers engaged around the clock.
To ace the feedback part, you can make use of sentiment analysis. Accordingly, you can tweak your services and products to match the customers’ needs.
Nurture Brand Advocacy through a Sense of Community
When customers feel included and part of a community, they tend to become brand advocates.
Businesses must reward customers for their stories and other user-generated content on their social media. This builds credibility and attracts new customers. Influencer collaborations are gaining rapid popularity because it’s the best way to reach a huge audience in a short time.
Phygital experience is something that is wanted by all but known by few, so referral programs and social sharing can do wonders for a business. Referral programs are two-way, so they please new customers as well as existing ones.
Your loyal crowd deserves VIP treatment, and by doing so, you can engage them for a long time. When you foster a sense of community among your customers, you build lasting customer loyalty.
Invest in Expertise for Assured Results
It can be overwhelming to understand what customers want and how phygital components can contribute to that. That’s why investing in a holistic loyalty management platform becomes paramount. If you are a businessman thinking of exploring phygital space or are already sailing the same sea, Novus Loyalty can make loyalty easy for you. Novus Loyalty is a reliable e-commerce loyalty program provider, helping businesses excel in this space and retain customers like before.