Two Leading UK Retailers Drive Loyalty with a Single Customer View
Retailers recognise that understanding consumers and knowing what makes them tick is a key element of running a successful business with a loyal customer base. Yet, with a huge range of shopping options available, across many devices and multiple channels, repeat customers is no longer just driven by brand advocacy. Today's customers are motivated by convenience and retailers need to tap into their changing behaviour to ensure they are always offering the best experience.
This blog shares insight and best practice from two of our clients, Charles Clinkard and Karen Millen, on how a single customer view (SCV) is of prime importance for retailers in today's shopping world. This clear, omnichannel insight is fast becoming the most effective way of honing in on true customer behaviour so businesses can tailor their strategy and win hard-earned loyalty.
Enhancing customer insights
Charles Clinkard, a family-owned company recognised for its high quality products and outstanding service, understands the importance of securing loyalty. In a competitive age where consumers are driven by convenience, a key aspect of the business' appeal is its customer-centric message.
When it comes to loyalty schemes, retailers need to make sure they are rewarding both high and low frequency customers, those who spend high amounts at once and those who make small purchases often. Without a robust CRM system in place, businesses have no way of identifying these habits. With consumers shopping online and in-store, Charles Clinkard's previous paper-centric scheme meant the retailer could only offer rewards to a very small segment of in-store shoppers with a higher than average customer spend. The company needed SCV to widen its reach and get back in touch with valued shoppers. After partnering with Aptos, the retailer rolled out a four-step development process to launch its improved, multichannel loyalty scheme based around enhanced customer insight and cross-channel capabilities that resulted in a more sophisticated, inclusive system that differentiates Charles Clinkard from the market.
Personalising customer engagement
Karen Millen recognises that a robust CRM system is critical to obtaining a SCV. The luxury womenswear retailer needed to capture customer data across channels to gain a holistic view of its shoppers as individuals and offer the personalised communications they have come to expect.
The increased insight and customer knowledge delivered by Aptos CRM means Karen Millen accurately tracks high-value shoppers and can then in turn offer timely, tailored rewards to encourage repeat purchases and drive brand advocacy. Thanks to SCV, Karen Millen gained access to insights that were hitherto unknown but which are essential for understanding shoppers as individuals who switch between channels all the time. Without a single customer view, there was a disconnect across the business regarding a true understanding of customer value.
As all good retailers will know, loyalty can never be taken for granted and offering blanket rewards to top spending customers is not in tune with today's shopping environment. Offering true value must be based around a deep understanding of who your customers are, knowing how they like to shop and tailoring your engagement accordingly.
With a wealth of data at businesses' fingertips, consumers are now accustomed to being treated as individuals not as part of a mass. To do this, retailers need to look at their CRM system. Does the data track cross channel shopping? Does it provide insights into all customers not just those who spend high amounts in-store? Does it offer scope for personalised communication? Once businesses have access to a centralised, omnichannel system that tracks shoppers in real-time, they will be able to put the customer at the heart of their operations and build valued, long-term loyalty.
