Consumers are increasingly demanding customized items and services.
For the past couple of years, the notion of experiential marketing swept through marketing circles for good reasons. 88% of consumers prefer to buy from a company that offers a customized experience. 71% of them are dissatisfied with un-personalized shopping experiences. Furthermore, customers are willing to spend an additional 16% on unique experiences.
Although we’ve made great strides in providing unique experiences for our customers in person, providing truly customized online products and experiences is more difficult to expand.
Setting up your e-commerce strategy will indeed help. Here’s how.
Take advantage of Virtual Technology.
If you’ve been a part of online shopping in the past couple of months, you’ve probably been aware of the metaverse. Users can communicate with others in a computer-generated setting in this virtual reality world. The virtual world sees the investments of some of the biggest tech’s most influential businesses.
Virtual stores already appear through companies like MetaVRse, which powers the Mastercard VR retailer platform.
Mastercard’s virtual store that is 3D-based offers online shoppers a shopping experience that lets customers walk around a virtual representation of an actual store. It creates a shopping experience akin to what we used to do at the malls back when shopping in person was the only way. The experience was much more than just scrolling through product pages or reading descriptions. It was about discovering, looking at the fabrics in person, and touching the clothes as you tried them on before deciding whether to purchase. VR may bring some of that feeling back, but not in an exact manner, but more than just online shopping can.
Brand name fashion Balenciaga recently revealed they’ll dedicate a whole business unit to metaverse innovation following the release of the Fall 2021 line through an online game. They worked with the video game Fortnite on a set of digital skins available to players making digital clothes for the four characters that play in the game in addition to limited-edition physical clothing. Players could purchase these digital clothes and accessories to customize their avatars.
“It’s just a matter the time until we’ll see more brands relying heavily on virtual and augmented technologies to satisfy the needs of young consumers who are already comfortable shopping and participating with these virtual worlds,” says Alan Smithson, founder of MetaVRse. “The organizations that are dipping their toes into the realm of innovation are now leading the way in the next ten years.”
What is the metaverse got to do with having to do with personalization? It’s all about data. Imagine a world where every consumer could have their universe tailored to their preference, favorite brands, and sizes.
Lean Into Data
Of course, there are other methods to use the data of your customers to provide an individual experience. Giving away items customers are likely to love according to their previous purchases is a fantastic method to bring more comfort into your customers’ shopping experience while increasing conversion rates.
“Brands have a purchase history for their customers but don’t make use of the information to its full potential,” says Tina Mulqueen, the creator of Kindred Marketing. “As fashion brands consider creating a profile of an individual customer based on their “closet. Knowing the items, they’ve bought can help you suggest clothing items that could make a perfect style. This is beneficial for the customer, as they’re now able to get tailored fashion suggestions according to their style.”
Scale Your Customer’s Touch-Points by Using Video
If you’re not yet ready for the world of the universe of the future, there are low-tech ways to create a customer’s experience in a virtual space and establish connections through the process.
“We’ve witnessed consumers move away from replicable experiences, and they’re doing the exact similar thing with their the products. Consumers are increasingly looking for unique products prepared specifically for their needs,” says Tony Iyke, the creator of The House of Rose. This Portland-based fashion brand offers only bespoke items. “
Incorporating customizations into the strategy of the company’s online store is crucial. They provide the option of a virtual fitting at a time with a Zoom-like interface that allows for personalized measurements.
Just adding videos to websites of products can positively affect sales by increasing customers’ average order value. In the latest Liveclicker poll, 57% of retailers stated that the average order value increased after customers watched videos on their page for a product.
Create A Interactive Purchase Path
As well as utilizing technology, thinking about the options available in your online store will allow you to customize your products.
“We let our customers pick everything from fabrics to buttons and much more,” adds Iyke. “They make a whole product on our website, and the result is a product that’s exclusive to them. They are aware that no other person will be wearing the same outfit, suit, or trousers.”
Of course, scaling up your operations to allow for these personalizations is essential. Iyke established a network of tailors before launching his online store to make the personalization of his products feasible.
Retail’s future might be uncertain; however one thing is certain adapting is essential to satisfy the growing demand for a more thorough customized, more personalised and personalized shopping experience. The right time to make the investment in these new technologies is now.
