“MarTech not only helps create a cohesive customer experience but also saves time and resources for the marketing team.”
Most companies know that if a customer feels their needs and priorities are not being met, they will look elsewhere. According to research, 73% of individuals point to customer experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions. Only by listening carefully to their customers and seeking to understand their entire journey can businesses serve customers effectively and deliver what they truly need.
by Mishel Justesen, DCX Principal, Marketing Technology at Capgemini Americas
As organizations explore how to create a frictionless customer experience, leaders need to consider the right combination of tools to get ahead of the competition, establish customer trust, and foster loyalty.
Streamline the customer journey
In a challenging and highly competitive market, managing the customer journey is central to a brand’s customer experience. Specifically, experience architecture, or also known as XA, is used to describe the design and planning of experiences that a customer has with a brand or product. It is the process of creating a holistic experience for customers, where all the touchpoints and interactions with a brand are considered and optimized for maximum impact. XA is your ticket to customer obsession, and it’s essential to smoothing out the customer journey.
It’s important to build out a robust XA to identify the customer’s journey and map out all the points of contact that a customer has with the brand. This can be divided into several stages, including awareness, consideration, decision-making, and post-purchase. At each stage, the customer has different needs and expectations in which the XA should be designed accordingly. For example, in the awareness stage, the focus should be on creating a strong brand identity and generating interest in the product or service. In the decision-making phase, there should be an emphasis on providing detailed information about the product and facilitating the purchase process.
Consistency is also key when creating an XA. Customers expect a steady experience across all touchpoints with a brand, whether it’s online, offline or in-store. This is where marketing technology (MarTech) comes into play and can help ensure consistency by providing a single source of truth for customer data and marketing campaigns. MarTech refers to the software and tools used by marketers to plan, execute, and measure marketing campaigns. It includes everything from email marketing platforms to social media management tools, CRM software to analytics platforms and content management systems. MarTech not only helps create a cohesive customer experience but also saves time and resources for the marketing team.
The power of MarTech
In each stage of the XA, MarTech plays a critical role. In the awareness phase, social media platforms can be used to create targeted ads that reach potential customers based on their interests and demographics. And in the consideration phase, email marketing platforms can be used to send personalized messages that address the customer’s specific needs and preferences based on past purchases.
One of the most important aspects of XA is personalization; the right MarTech set-up can help achieve personalization goals by providing data and insights about customer behavior. CRM software can be used to track customer interactions and purchase history, which can then be used to create personalized recommendations and offers. In addition, analytics platforms can provide insights into customer behavior and preferences, which can be used to optimize the customer journey and improve the overall experience.
Finally, XA should be designed with measurement in mind. It’s important to have a clear understanding of the impact of the customer experience on business outcomes, such as revenue, customer retention, and brand loyalty. MarTech can provide the tools and data needed to measure the effectiveness of the XA. For example, analytics platforms can be used to track customer behavior and engagement across all touchpoints, providing insights into which areas of the experience are most impactful. This information can be used to optimize the XA and improve business outcomes.
Overall, XA and MarTech are two sides of the same coin. XA is about designing and planning the customer experience, while MarTech is about executing and measuring that experience. The intersection of these two fields is where brands can truly differentiate themselves from their competition and create impactful and personalized experiences for their customers. By leveraging the power of XA and MarTech, brands will be able to create a cohesive and consistent customer experience.
Photo by rajat sarki on Unsplash
