Today’s consumers expect a seamless purchase experience, being kept informed throughout their journey without unnecessary disruptions. With 86% of people saying that they would pay more for a better experience, there are numerous benefits to keeping customers on the same platform.
In some cases, it is necessary for brands to take customers to another site or application, however this should only be done if required, to secure a purchase.
Brands that are able to attract the attention of potential customers, keep them engaged, provide them with all relevant information and make the purchase process simple, are those that can truly dominate the industry. The reason for this is that they give consumers the confidence they need to make a purchase, in a way that they are comfortable with, while making it simple and quick.
Here are some of the reasons why brands should keep consumers on the platform they initially began their engagement on:
Customer experience is everything, with great experiences creating brand loyalty and returning customers, while negative experiences have the potential to damage brand reputation. An enormous 73% of people say that customer experience is a vital factor in making a purchasing decision. Ensuring there is minimal disruption to the user’s journey plays a vital role in this, keeping them on the platform that they are interacting on.
Convenience should be at the heart of any brand’s strategy, encouraging consumers to buy in the ways that work best for them. When taken to a completely unfamiliar website, consumers may question its legitimacy and feel uneasy about making a purchase. In addition to this, even a one second delay when waiting for another platform to load, can decrease customer satisfaction by around 16%.
This means that the consumer journey should be kept on the same platform for as long as possible, providing them with relevant information and only taking them to other websites if necessary and to complete their purchase, once they are sold on the product.
Brands and businesses are able to generate more detailed insights when customers’ journeys are on a single platform. Having an integrated campaign shop means that companies can find out far more than just a click through rate and don’t lose important campaign data to third party sites.
As an example, if a consumer is on a brand’s Facebook page and leaves to go to a third party retailer such as Argos, the brand will have no visibility from this point onwards. They won’t know whether the consumer made a purchase on Argos, clicked on a competitor’s product or left the page to Google something else. By keeping customers on dedicated platforms, brands and businesses are able to follow a consumer’s journey from the moment they interact, through to the moment they purchase.
The result of collecting this data means that brands can assess the effectiveness of all content and calls to action, as well as the campaign as a whole. Specific areas that can be monitored include popular products, retailers, days of the week and the length of sessions on each page. As well as using these insights to understand strengths and weaknesses in the marketing funnel, they can action improvements to increase conversion rates in the future.
With an integrated campaign shop, brands can provide customers with all the information they need, from product details to promotions, reviews and even store locators. With 88% of consumers researching a purchase online before buying online or in store, having this information readily available in one place prevents shoppers from leaving the brand’s platform to carry out their own research, also growing brand confidence.
Having an integrated campaign page or store means that consumers don’t have to leave your site to visit anybody else’s. Keeping a user on one platform for as long as possible also means brands have greater control over the content displayed, reducing the likelihood of other brands being featured alongside products or tempting consumers away with their messaging.
Customers’ journeys can be personalised, integrating campaign shops into the same platform they are on. These can be made to capture people’s attention, being tailored to the platform they are being seen on. This can include having specific landing pages or views for those who access it via Facebook, compared to those who might see it on a brand’s website, or varying the experience by time of day or device being used
Highlighting the importance of making messaging relevant to those viewing it, Dynamic Yield state that 92% of people see value in personalisation of the digital environment.
There’s nothing worse than clicking on a link to view more information, only to have your existing page disappear and find yourself on a completely unfamiliar site. This can cause disappointment, raise security concerns, and for the less technologically familiar users, completely confuse them. Keeping the user on their chosen platform for as long as possible, means they will feel comfortable and enjoy their purchasing journey.
Keeping people on the same platform that they initially interacted on, enables greater campaign insights and analytics, making media work well for brands while keeping customers happy and engaged.
Dotter is able to display all required information directly on the platform that the consumer is engaging with. Through the addition of integrated campaign shops, brands can share all available options with customers, including store locators, prices, promotions and star ratings.
To speak to a member of the Dotter team about the ways you can engage customers and transform their shopping experiences, contact us on theteam@dotter.me
Author: Holly Worthington
