Marketing sophistication is measured through a brand’s personalization tactics — plain and simple. Batch-and-blast communications and discounts don’t generate the most successful ROI — a 1:1 connection does. In fact, 71% of consumers expect personalization and 76% are frustrated when they don’t receive it.
How do customers commonly express their frustration? By opting out of marketing communications altogether. If someone isn’t being fed relevant and tailored messages, a once loyal shopper can fade into a distant memory and set their sights on the competition.
Data is at the heart of personalization. Without it, messaging is stale and uninviting. And what’s the most efficient way to drive relevancy and personalization for customers when information is constantly changing? Through the power of API data sources.
Tapping into an API enhances a brand’s ability to effortlessly display the most up-to-date information to their audience. This powers data across the internet and allows systems to exchange information between one another almost instantly — including top trending items, product inventory, ratings & reviews, and more — all gathered directly from the API located on the brand’s website. Although APIs pinpoint the most recent and relevant product data, including personalization to the customer experience is the cherry on top of the cake.
In addition to using APIs, marketers must add non-PII zero- and first-party data to the mix to create the most engaging communication possible. Whether it be tracked through online behavior (first-party data) or shared by the customer willingly (zero-party data), marketers can use this data to ensure customers always feel connected to the experience they are receiving from their preferred brands.
Together, APIs and zero- and first-party data captivate an audience. Here are three ways to put this winning combination into practice:
Entice Lapsed Customers
Nothing says “we want you back” more than a nudge in the right direction. By using CRM behavioral data to target all lapsed customers and an API data source to capture the new product releases at the time of send, Inkredible Gaming created a successful retention strategy.
In this case, lapsed customers might have forgotten what they were missing, so sending new or trending products to once-upon-a-time shoppers can give them the inspiration they need to come back and stick around for the long haul.
Be data determined.
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Create FOMO
When marketers create urgency, they initiate a high value action, such as a purchase, from the customer — especially when it’s close to home.
Inkredible Retail captured their customers’ preferred store (zero-party data) to display a dynamic map indicating their closest location. Below the map, they displayed items personalized to the customer based on their recent browsing behavior (first-party data). To ensure this campaign drove impactful results, the brand took it a step further by using a product inventory feed API to showcase items that were almost sold out at the customer’s individual store to initiate FOMO.
Secure Future Purchases
The customer journey doesn’t end at the time of purchase. For lifetime loyalty, a brand must prioritize a continued connection, even after their product is signed, sealed, and delivered.
To confirm this, Inkredible Retail used behavioral data to send an email to customers who had recently purchased an item. Not only did the brand display this item at the top of the email, but they used a product review engine API to showcase the positive feedback this specific item received from other shoppers. This makes the customer confident in their purchase decision and influences them to shop for more. Taking it to the next level, the brand also implemented a ‘Complete the Look’ module to inspire the customer to make their next move.
Using an outfit and product recommendations engine API, the ‘Complete the Look’ campaign is born. Inkredible Retail not only used this in their email sends, but also included it in their in-app messages. Shoppers who abandoned an item received a trigger campaign that was populated with four items that would inspire them to complete the purchase and add more to their existing cart.
A sophisticated marketing strategy involves personalization at every phase of the customer journey — and success is found within the data. Once marketers identify the data they have at their disposal and understand how to make it enticing to their customers, the possibilities are endless.
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