In today’s digital world, retailers need to have their finger on the pulse when it comes to customer engagement. Gone are the days of a website being a commodity and only communicating with customers via phone or email.
The last 15 years has seen the introduction of a number of large social media platforms which retailers have had to embrace. First came Facebook and Twitter, allowing businesses to quickly build an online presence, and a community of fans and potential customers. Instagram and Snapchat followed soon after and most recently, TikTok joined the list.
The rise in social media platforms has brought a range of benefits to companies. However, businesses have had to adapt, and learn how to maintain online customer engagement. Let’s explore the importance of online customer engagement and how retailers can boost theirs.
Why is social media engagement important?
Social media is nothing without engagement. When we use social media, we’re looking for a two-way connection, either with another person or a brand. Companies can use social platforms to raise awareness of their brand, promote their brand identity and create emotional loyalty with customers.
Social media engagement is crucial to business success. Organic reach has fallen on almost every social media platform in the last few years, however, companies with high engagement on their accounts have been the least affected by the drop. Some platforms, such as Facebook have even been known to prioritise the visibility of a post based on “meaningful engagement”. Essentially, this means posts with more active and thoughtful interactions will achieve better reach.
Trends taking the market by storm
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots has risen, and the market size for these is expected to grow significantly in the next couple of years. Chatbots bring many benefits to businesses, including improving customer engagement. It’s predicted by 2025, 95% of customer interactions will be supported by AI.
The introduction of augmented reality (AR) in retail has allowed businesses to convert in-person shopping into digital experiences. AR allows customers to browse 3D products from home, virtually try on clothes, collate information on a product, such as reviews, cost, available colours and use virtual trial rooms.
Visual engagement through video has grown significantly since the beginning of the pandemic and is set to become the new norm. Retailers have caught onto the trend, making video a central part of their marketing efforts. Video types which are increasingly popular are explainer videos, product demonstrations and FAQs, promotional, customer testimonial and company culture.
Statement managing director, Dan Conboy, shares his thoughts on embracing social media: “These things are still quite new and there’s a balance of offering these services with logistics and providing it in a regular manner. But I think the brands who are open-minded are the ones who will win. I would love to see more merchants engage with that technology as we move into peak this year and beyond. I think those brands who create that connectivity, joy and fun are the ones that are going to gain a competitive edge.”
Tips for new merchants
Online customer engagement can be a daunting prospect to new merchants, but here are a few pointers for getting started:
- Know your target audience. Ask yourself who you’re talking to and tailor your marketing campaigns, tone of voice and content to those people.
- Know where your audience is talking about you. It’s no use being on Facebook if your target audience prefer Instagram.
- Respond and engage quickly and consistently. No one likes waiting around for a response, and leaving a potential customer hanging could damage your relationship with them and cost you their business.
- Ensure your content is accessible and consider those with disabilities when building every marketing campaign. Not only will being accessible reflect well on your brand, but it will also increase your engagement overall.
