Increasing efficiency : technology can make processes more efficient. For example, service can evolve into a self-service environment through technology . In this way, the customer can solve problems themselves in a faster and more efficient way. Customer satisfaction increases and costs decrease. Ordering hamburgers at McDonald's via interactive screens is another example of this: the customer does not have to wait as long and McDonald's needs fewer staff.
Help to earn more money : Amazon changes its prices several times a day. This process is completely automatic. This perfect pricing strategy ensures more sales. Customers know that Amazon gives them the best prices at any time of the day.
how technology will facilitate marketing
Data will of course be one of the most important words for marketing 2020 list to data Collecting customer data helps to achieve all three objectives above. Data will become the new oil, so to speak. Whoever has the right data in their hands and knows how to handle it, will be the richest.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to capture consumers. Today, a consumer only wants to actively interact with 5 brands . Technology makes it increasingly easy to be shielded from commercial messages. The only way to keep the consumer's attention is to be extremely relevant.
There are two dimensions to consider in the evolution of sales. The first dimension is the rise of inbound marketing. I recently read in an article in the Marketing Magazine that 95% of customer interactions at ING bank start with the customer. In other words: the push model has already been replaced by the pull model. To be relevant here, data is invaluable. If you can perfectly personalize a message based on data, then you have captured the attention of the consumer.
It's funny, the foundation of marketing 2020 was written in the 80s when CRM and direct marketing were hot. Today we can execute what was written then. The philosophy is right, the technology makes it possible today.
A second dimension is offering relevant content . Content tells a story and gives people something of value. It is less and less about the product itself, but more and more about what the consumer can do with the product. The new sites of Kraft and Coca-Cola already radiate this. Both brands have banished the product to the background. The sites look more like a digital magazine than a corporate website. That is selling, without selling.
To succeed, four principles are needed :
Invest in owned media : make sure your content is not floating around the internet, but is linked to owned media. Try to get consumers on your own platforms to consume content.
Content as bait for data : content is like the worm when fishing. Many companies now throw loose worms into the water. If the fish bite, the worm is gone. By providing a hook, you have a bite when people want to eat the worm. Use this metaphor in your content marketing. Make sure that content becomes a data collector.
Mix between big and small stories : sharing stories every day is part of the marketing 2020 philosophy. However, make sure there is a variation between big and small stories. Red Bull is the master of this. Every now and then they provide unimaginable stunts, but in the meantime they maintain a content flow that fits perfectly with the brand. Both are important.
Design, design, design : content must be relevant, but above all beautifully designed, visual. Bringing the same story in a classic or a beautiful way, is a phenomenal difference in impact. Designers will increase in importance in the coming years.
Selling without selling model
Three dimensions work together towards a 'larger' goal
Even if a company excels in these three dimensions (extreme customer focus, technology and selling without selling), it is still no guarantee of success in 2020. Firstly, there is a need for the personal touch (see above), but also for a shared goal for the consumer and the company .
Pampers is working with consumers to combat some nasty diseases. For every Pamper sold, P&G donates a vaccine in developing countries. This creates a shared goal that consumers and companies work on together . Triodos Bank makes it very clear to customers where their money is invested. Triodos always chooses investments that support sustainability.
These kinds of 'bigger' goals appeal to the imagination of the consumer. In a global study by InSites Consulting on sustainable entrepreneurship, it quickly became clear that a consumer expects three things from a company: 1. to do good for its own customers, 2. to make a profit and therefore to do good for its own employees and 3. to do good for society.