As of late we’re seeing more and more brands undergo digital transformations. Particularly, we’re seeing a shift in priorities as modern, integrated martech stacks are becoming more valuable for brands. Partially as a result of the pandemic, brands are increasingly adopting new digital channels to be able to easily reach their customers with unique, personalized messages.
Not every brand had to make the switch to digital, though. There are brands that are digitally native, meaning they were conceived in the digital world and have always been present on digital platforms. Often called “digitally-native brands” (DNBs) these brands begin with an integrated tech stack, allowing them to deliver a personalized, efficient customer experience from day one.
But what about the brands that did have to adapt—the non-DNBs? How do they incorporate digital channels into their marketing strategy?
Digital Transformation Tips for Non-DNBs
1. Check All Digital Channels
To create a fully unified customer experience, brands need to consider where and how their customers will be interacting with them. If you have channels created, make sure they are optimized to reduce friction in the user experience.
As an example, through customer feedback, Jersey Mike’s, a sub sandwich brand born in 1956, learned that they needed to streamline their online ordering experience. After digging into the data, they noticed a lot of orders were coming from the mobile site but not through their mobile app.
The beauty of mobile apps is that they live right on a user’s home screen and give the user quick access to their account and all—or most—of what a brand has to offer. In contrast, a mobile site is less convenient, often more cumbersome to use and may add friction to the user lifecycle if the user isn’t recognized by the mobile site.
Once you establish a new channel, it’s crucial to maintain it. Customers will find and try to engage with your brand via your existing channels and you need to be sure their experience is optimized on each one.
2. Assemble the Right Tools
Once your brand decides on the channels to focus on, you’ll need the right tools in place to ensure you can optimize data collection through these channels. A customer experience is only as good as the data you can draw from it. Otherwise, how will you know what works and doesn’t work?
The integration of Iterable, Segment, and Amplitude gave Jersey Mike’s the ability to test, edit, retest, and deploy messages across multiple channels, based on individual customer data. In the process, each of these tools plays a distinct role in Jersey Mike’s overall marketing strategy.
To create a consistent, integrated customer experience not only on the mobile app, but across all digital channels, brands should invest in updating their tech stack to avoid data silos and fragmented customer journeys.
3. Get Personal
Once you have your channels selected and your martech tools integrated, it’s time to get personal. The data that your brand collects through these various channels is highly valuable. But, it’s how you use the data that will set you apart.
Jersey Mike’s, for example, had the goal of re-engaging their loyalty program customers. With the modern tech stack in place, they could easily segment which customers were part of the loyalty program but hadn’t made an in-app purchase in the past three months. A “We Miss You” email was sent to these customers to “nudge” them to make a purchase through the app.
With this integration and sharing of data, marketing messages are built specifically for certain users. A modernized tech stack that allows for consolidated, segmented data gives brands like Jersey Mike’s the ability to bring their in-store personalization to digital channels.
4. Stay True to Your Roots
For non-DNBs, don’t forget about the elements of brick and mortar locations that made your brand what it is today. Adapting new technology and creating a cross-channel experience does not exclude pre-existing channels. Physical stores created the brand you have now, so embrace the qualities they bring to the customer experience.
There are aspects of a brick and mortar store that Jersey Mike’s wanted to ensure remained after they adopted the use of digital channels. For example, the franchise owners and crew members know customers by name. Their goal was to keep that same level of personalization intact with the addition of digital channels.
Non-DNBs Can Benefit from a Digital Transformation
While traditionally brick and mortar brands may be wary of adapting new technologies, it’s important to remember that physical and digital channels are not mutually exclusive. In fact, because consumers often use multiple channels, including in-store shopping, when making a purchase decision, taking advantage of your full breadth of channels will create a holistic customer experience.
Undergoing a digital transformation gives non-DNBs the ability to deliver the right messages at the right time on the right platform, matching their levels of in-store and digital personalization.
To see how Kelly and her team were able to improve the Jersey Mike’s customer experience with Iterable, Segment, and Amplitude, check out the webinar.
