Simply put, growth hacks are tactics that marketers use to grow very, very quickly. Growth hacking is part of growth marketing, a flexible approach that uses data and near-constant experimentation to find and tap into rapid growth opportunities. Since the term was first coined over a decade ago, the mindset and practice of growth hacking have contributed to today’s biggest digital success stories, and some of the most captivating case studies for growth.

Here are eight growth hacking tactics to inspire your mobile app growth strategy. We’ll also share a few intriguing examples of growth hacking in action. 

Experiment Constantly

First things first; experimentation is everything. You need to quickly test your growth hacks to see what works, what doesn’t, and where you can optimize for additional growth. Growth marketers use A/B testing in the app and across multiple channels–email, SMS, advertising, landing pages, and more–to quickly learn what customers respond to. 

For aspiring growth hackers, or anyone looking to improve CX, your mobile app, and website are perfect places to start. 

• Test for slow page load times, which can quickly turn customers away. 
• Run experiments on your landing pages and CTAs to make sure they’re having maximum impact.

Expand Your Email List 

A great email list can open up fantastic growth opportunities, and Facebook offers one of the best recognized use cases. The social network quickly grew its app audience by asking people to import their contacts and invite their friends through email and then emailing notifications to draw people into the app. This hack was so successful it’s since been co-opted by many other social media apps.

To begin growing your list, take advantage of every available opportunity to ask customers for their emails, including: 

• Through the app (of course!)
• Via simple opt-in forms on your website
• At point of sale 
• At events 
• Through social media 

Lean into Loyalty

Loyalty perks are a proven way to quickly attract new customers and grow your existing ones. In fact, consumers are 72% more likely to recommend brands with a good loyalty program. 

The key is to be creative and identify what your customers value, whether that’s a cash reward, free drink, gift card, or something else that motivates them to engage more, buy more, and strive for that next tier of loyalty. Mobile Wallet is one way to make it super easy for your mobile app users.

Airship’s loyalty solution can help you show customers you understand and appreciate them with a multi-channel approach to loyalty.

Cross Promote

If you don’t have an established audience, consider leveraging an existing one. In one of the most famous examples of growth hacking, emerging startup Airbnb recognized that by automatically crossposting its rental listings on Craigslist, it could reach millions of additional users without purchasing ad space. This hack is considered instrumental to Airbnb’s rapid growth, despite being reportedly unauthorized by Craigslist. 

There are tons of cross promotion opportunities for app growth, from co-marketing and product partnerships to joint social media campaigns and events with an influencer or another brand. Just make sure to find a partner that complements rather than competes with whatever your app offers. 

Activate With Incentives

Free stuff is universally popular. And freebies, freemium accounts and other targeted incentives are a tried and true way to get people to try your app, products or services. A word of advice: keep it simple. 

For example, you could simply pay people to sign up, a growth hack used by PayPal with much success. Their program offering $10 to every new AND referring user is credited with helping PayPal become a dominant online payment service. 

Ramp up Your Referrals 

Word of mouth has always been a growth driver and that remains true in the era of social media and online reviews. Customers acquired through word-of-mouth have a 37 percent higher retention rate, so it only makes sense that brands chasing rapid growth might look to referrals.

File hosting service DropBox achieved exponential growth by offering free space to users who referred friends. Not only did the person referring get free storage, so did their friend! Just keep in mind that because referral programs are so common, you need to give customers a compelling reason to participate. 

Team Up with an Influencer

Testimonials are powerful. And when that testimonial comes from a trusted source like a celebrity or social influencer, their credibility and loyal audience can make a huge difference for growth marketers looking to quickly win hearts and minds.

Specific influencer growth hacks include teaming up with an influencer to run a contest or give-away, use influencer-specific promo codes, create viral hashtags, or do a social media takeover to drive users to the app.

Cultivate Community

Online communities provide valuable content and interaction for community members. But did you know they can also open up attractive growth hacking opportunities?

Harry Dry’s dating site for Kanye fanatics provides a fun case study. To build buzz around his big idea, Dry turned to the Kayne subreddit, which had thousands of members. With an announcement to that community, he created excitement among an ideal audience before he even had a live website. While Dry eventually sold the site, his story shows how online communities can help mobile app growth hackers find their audience, whether they’re building community or connecting with an existing one.

With these eight mobile app growth hacking tactics, you’re that much closer to achieving your growth goals. Just remember to always look at the big picture, get creative and experiment, rather than focusing on a particular channel, tactic or funnel stage. Happy hacking!

To learn more about how to grow your customer base, contact us today.

The post 8 Mobile App Growth Hacks to Quickly Grow Your Audience appeared first on Airship.

Check out a few highlights below, and download the eBook for more.

Authentic vs. AI

While many brands turn to AI chatbots for in-the-moment engagement and support, the reality is that most people (86%) prefer talking with another human. And when the customer’s only other options are emailing or calling, that creates friction that increases the chances they’ll walk away. The key to Live Chat is the ability to trigger 1-to-1 chat interactions from any marketing channel in those pivotal moments. Trigger live chat opportunities based on customer actions, location, behavior, or any other data that makes sense for your brand, so you can be there to:

• Answer questions
• Assist with payment
• Upsell
• Cross-sell
• Drive repeat purchases
• And more! 

Two-Way Conversations in the Moments that Matter

For brands not already using Live Chat, you might assume it’s primarily a responsive channel. However, Live Chat opens up a world of opportunities to proactively engage your customers and foster valuable relationships at key moments in the customer journey. Examples include:

• Offer to assist with onboarding
• Let them know about a special offer
• Get them enrolled in a loyalty program
• Ensure a seamless BOPIS/Click & Collect Experience
• Check in about an abandoned cart
• Create a Concierge Service Experience

In the ebook, we look at a variety of use cases to help acquire, retain and grow your customers and drive results. 

Adding Live Chat to your channel mix opens up a world of opportunities to create better customer experiences, reduce friction and drive toward your goals. Download the ebook today for more live chat insights, resources and use cases to help you take advantage of this exciting channel.

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The post Build Stronger Customer Relationships at Scale with Live Chat appeared first on Airship.

Let’s take a look at six use cases, including several with our partners at Mixpanel, that show how you can use real-time data, goal-based customer journeys and personalization to accelerate loyalty program growth.

Lead New Customers to Loyalty

When a new customer comes into the app, it’s the perfect time to launch messaging that drives loyalty sign-ups. Here’s how a goal-based approach can help. As customers come into your welcome series, if they sign up, they’ll branch off into messages about how to redeem points or use the loyalty program. If they don’t, you can re-engage them with messages about all the great benefits you have to offer.

Target Potential Power Users

To identify ideal targets for loyalty messaging, it helps to understand how customers engage with your brand. In this scenario, a QSR brand uses Mixpanel to identify a cohort of potential power users based on specific customer actions. Leveraging Airship’s integration with Mixpanel, that data can be sent directly to Airship to deploy customer journeys with messages about insider deals for loyalty members, and more. 

Identify & Re-Engage Dormant Customers

The vast majority of consumers participate in some sort of loyalty scheme, but more than half of loyalty memberships are inactive. In this example, a media brand is using Mixpanel to identify a cohort of app users or loyalty members who are inactive or at risk of churn based on several specific criteria such as not having shared on social media. That data is then sent to Airship in real-time to launch personalized offers and incentives that re-engage them.

Deliver Personalized Rewards in Real-Time

Real-time behavioral data is a powerful ally for growing customer loyalty. This retail use case shows how you can personalize offers and rewards in Airship with behavioral info sent directly from Mixpanel. 

Make Loyalty Easy with Mobile Wallet

Locating a physical loyalty card and keeping track of points can be a hassle for your mobile customers. In fact, 69 percent of millennials find it’s too hard to join loyalty schemes and/or earn rewards. The solution: Mobile Wallet! As Mobile Wallet adoption grows, more brands are taking advantage of this channel to improve CX and engagement by sending contactless, personalized Mobile Wallet loyalty cards across any channel and updating them with promotions and relevant offers.

Optimize Loyalty Messaging with A/B Testing

As you roll out your goal-based loyalty journeys, it’s critical to experiment, test and optimize those journeys and identify which variables impact your loyalty KPIs. With Journey Control Groups, you can set an ongoing baseline comparison to measure the impact of a journey, integrated metrics help to visualize results on business goals, and continually optimize each step in the user journey. 

Plus, you can send that data back to Mixpanel to get real-time feedback and measure the effects of your experiments on all your important KPIs in one place. Then compare multiple control and variant groups to see which one works best, and determine if the results are statistically significant with confidence ratings.

For a deeper dive into these insights and to learn more about how you can create data-driven, personalized and convenient mobile experiences, check out our recent webinar 7 Ways Mobile Can Accelerate Loyalty Program Growth. And don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss how Airship and our partners at Mixpanel can help! 

Loyalty Matters

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Loyalty programs are popular, but retention and engagement are key challenges.

These stats show it’s crucial to take proactive steps to communicate with customers about your loyalty program, as well as provide real value that gives them more reasons to remain loyal to your brand.

• 90% of US adults belong to at least one loyalty program and 53% are in three or more. 

• On average, consumers have seven active loyalty memberships in their wallet. However…

• More than half of loyalty memberships are inactive.

• More than one in three consumers who do not belong to any loyalty programs say it is because they are not aware of any.

• Of the three quarters of Americans who changed their shopping behavior since COVID-19 began, around 40 percent say they have changed brands, with the level of brand switching doubling in 2020 compared to 2019.

• 62% of people who have changed their brand preference during the COVID-19 pandemic will make that a permanent change before the pandemic is over.

Customer loyalty and loyalty schemes are major drivers of key performance indicators.

Loyalty translates to more revenues, recommendations and reviews. Plus, your loyal customers are more likely to stick around even when things don’t go as planned. 

• Loyalty leaders grow revenues roughly 2.5 times as fast as their industry peers and deliver two to five times the shareholder returns over the next 10 years.

• 72% of consumers say they are more likely to recommend brands with a good loyalty program.

• 78% of consumers say loyalty programs make me more likely to continue doing business with brands.

• 81% of Millenials say that being a member of a loyalty program encourages them to spend more with the company.

• 71% of Millennials say they are likely to write positive reviews about a brand they are loyal to.

• When a customer is loyal to a brand, 46% will remain loyal even after a bad experience.

CX and personalization are crucial to loyalty program success.

Today’s increasingly mobile consumers demand personalized and relevant content from the brands they trust, as well as options (like Mobile Wallet) that make it easy to participate and unlock valuable incentives and rewards.

• 43% of shoppers will unsubscribe from loyalty program messages if the content is not relevant to them.

• Over 57% of members prefer to interact with their loyalty program on mobile devices.

• 94% of consumers who give a company a “very good” CX rating are likely to purchase more products or services from that company in the future.

• Customers are 7.5X more likely to recommend a brand with a loyalty program that achieves high levels of personalization along the member lifecycle, and 6.4X more likely to modify the amount spent to maximize points. 

• Globally, 61% of consumers agree that loyalty schemes are too hard to join and/or earning rewards is too difficult.

• 78% of Millennials say they would switch to a company that offered a better program.

• Six out of ten consumers say they are loyal because they feel a personal connection to a company.

• 95 percent of customers are more likely to be loyal to a company they trust, while 92 percent are more likely to purchase additional products and services from them.

As these stats show, loyalty matters. But it’s essential to get it right. Brands that can meet the demand for personalized, convenient, and streamlined mobile experiences are in the best position to build stronger relationships that lead to a lifetime of value. 

For more loyalty insights and ideas to help grow your loyalty program, check out our recent webinar 7 Ways Mobile Can Accelerate Loyalty Program Growth.

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For more ideas, check out our 50+ Ideas for Optimizing Your Mobile App e-book.

Simplify Sign Ups 

To get the most from your mobile app, your customers need to register. However, the prospect of creating and remembering yet another account and password can be a real barrier. 

Simple sign-up options with Facebook, Google, Apple or other major platforms can help. In one survey, 88% of U.S. consumers said they have used social logins, and the number one reason was to avoid filling out online registration forms.

Optimize Onboarding  

A seamless onboarding experience is key to driving adoption among new users. That’s why it’s important to test content, layout and onboarding flows to learn which approaches drive registration and premium upgrades. 

Simple steps like adding an image, adjusting your paywall layout or reducing steps in onboarding can deliver valuable results. For example, the photo editing app Instasize increased premium conversions 16% by testing and optimizing their app onboarding flow. 

Improve Your Opt-In Ask 

Getting your customers opted into notifications and location services is essential to delivering personalized, timely and relevant news and alerts. But what if they decline? When should you ask again? The only way to know is to test! 

For media apps, try asking again after a specific number of sessions, views or articles read. You can use Airship’s event-triggered automation to make that ask at just the right moment. And be sure to give them a reason to opt-in, like not missing essential news or gaining access to exclusive content.

Test CTA Copy

You should also experiment with your CTAs to see which messages move the needle. Test for metrics like start today button clicked, email and password creation, or start free trial.

One of our media partners recently tested a CTA variation that referenced a $14.99 per month cost after a free trial vs. another that touted “less than 50 cents a day.” Customers loved the second option, leading to a 9% increase in conversion on subscriptions! That’s huge! But even a small increase in conversions can have a big impact on your bottom line.

Run Tests with Trials

If you offer trials for your subscription-based or freemium app, you may be uncertain about what those trials should look like. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but you can take guesswork out of the equation with A/B testing.

Experiment with different trial lengths to determine what drives paid conversion and decreases subscription opt out rates. You can also identify specific segments of your user base to convert on certain trial lengths, which helps drill down on the preferences of those segments.

Optimize In-App Ads

If you monetize ads in your app, A/B testing the placement, length, and type of ads can help maximize your ad revenue. The goal is to determine if adding or changing placement of ads has an impact on retention or impressions.

Areas to test include placement, length and ad type. And if you’re adding ads to your app for the first time, test them with a small segment of your user base to ensure you don’t see a negative impact on engagement and retention.

Try Feature Flags

Feature flags are a great way to test and iterate your app through rapid learning. Rather than launching new features to all users simultaneously, you can use feature flags to target a segment of users. By gradually rolling features out to a select group of users, and quickly rolling them back if needed, your team can ensure that the release goes smoothly and reduce the likelihood of unfavorable app store ratings. 

Airship recently launched a free version of Apptimize’s Feature Flags solution, making it easier for mobile app product owners to confidently roll out new services to meet changing needs.

With an ongoing strategy to optimize your media app, you’re ready to deliver massive value that helps acquire, retain and grow your customer base. For more inspiring mobile app optimization ideas and case studies, check out our ebook: 50 Ideas for Optimizing Your Mobile App. 

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The post 7 Mobile App Optimization Ideas for Media Brands appeared first on Airship.

How can retail brands meet this challenge and build better experiences that boost sales and retention? Our latest Airship ebook takes those questions head-on with insights and use cases specifically for retail. Read on for a preview. And to learn more, download the full ebook, Mobile Strategies that Boost Retail Sales & Retention!

Using Customer Journeys for More Effective Retail Onboarding 

To retain your customers, you need to show them value at every touchpoint. That starts with a great onboarding experience on the channels that matter most to each customer. And it continues through the retention and growth phases, where retailers can use intelligent customer journeys to offer real value that builds loyalty and retention. 

Creating Great BOPIS/Click & Collect Experiences

The demand for contactless, convenient mobile experiences is higher than ever, with 50% of shoppers saying they plan to continue using services like curbside pickup after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. We look at several use cases showing how channels like Mobile Wallet and SMS can help retail brands respond to this key trend.

These are just a few examples of what you’ll find in the new ebook. We hope this collection of insights and strategies will help you meet your retail brand’s goals. Check it out by downloading the book here!

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The post How to Build Better Mobile-First Experiences for Retail appeared first on Airship.

Read on for insights and ideas from that conversation, and be sure to watch the video below for more!

The Pandemic Raised the Bar for Customer Retention 

Participants discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic elevated the importance of customer loyalty and retention strategies, as customer needs and priorities rapidly shifted in response to lockdowns and safety concerns.

For example, Holly Ainger, CMO at Nuffield Health, described how they lost a third of their member base in gyms during the pandemic. As a result, they had to redouble efforts to ensure that the customers who stayed felt valued and loyal. 

For Ainger, it’s about aligning incentives with customer needs and always asking “what does that customer really want?” What Nuffield’s customers wanted was a way to continue their workouts from home or wherever they were, which led to the creation of an online digital fitness platform and messaging around the platform to meet that emerging need. 

Building Loyalty Requires Demonstrating Clear Value

The key to retaining customers is showing them how you make their lives better, according to our experts. That means products and services that deliver on a clear brand promise, but it also requires well-timed messaging that helps customers see that value and guides them through how to unlock it. 

Mantas Ratomskis, head of CRM & retention at Kilo Health, summed up the challenge: “if the customer doesn’t see how you will help achieve their goals in the first hour, you’re doomed.” 

For Angela Byrne, director of digital banking & transformation at NatWest, driving retention and customer loyalty requires alignment with your brand purpose. As a financial services brand, for NatWest it’s about making customers’ financial lives better both with a seamless day-to-day banking experience and by making sure they know NatWest is there to help with major life events and financial challenges.

Neil Kirby, marketing & consumer director of Bupa Global explained why they don’t shy away from messaging about additional benefits that customers can take advantage of, even though in the health insurance space it actually costs more when members use those benefits. “We know our NPS is significantly higher if you’ve used the product, because you’ve seen value, you’ve actually experienced the product.”

Steve Tan, VP & Ggeneral Mmanager, EMEA/APAC for Airship emphasized the need to use your mobile channels to keep customers informed on all your brand has to offer, including new and improved app features. He explained that “many people will continually invest in evolving their app features… but they forget about messaging.”

Personalized Engagement is Key for High-Value Segments

Earlier in this series, our panelists spoke about the need to identify the 20% or so of your customers who tend to provide the biggest return on investment. Here, they described how they build stronger relationships with those valued segments through personalized 1:1 engagement. 

For example, Neil Kirby highlighted how Bupa Global used a highly personalized approach to keep private insurance clients engaged during the pandemic. “We reached out to our private client customers in London and said, look, you’ve been hibernating for the last year, you may not want to venture out, but why don’t we send someone to your house to do an annual health check for you?” 

Airship’s Steve Tan sees significant opportunities for brands to layer that sort of personal, 1:1 customer engagement with other messaging and lifecycle automation to build a more personal, human experience. He explains that Airship recently launched Live In-App Chat and Live SMS chat to help brands drive a richer customer experience through real-time 1:1 conversation.

Conclusion

Despite the challenges of the past few years, our experts agree that the future is bright for brands that truly understand and respond to customer needs. Those who can communicate and deliver on a clear brand promise through products, experiences and the right messages at the right time are well situated to build stronger relationships that keep customers engaged for a lifetime of value.

For more ideas and best practices from these experts, check out parts one and two in this blog series, and download the full Raconteur report ‘The Future of Marketing and Customer Experience’ where you can read this article alongside other insightful opinions pieces and data reports on this topic.

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Read on for insights and ideas from that conversation, and be sure to watch the video below for more!

First-Party Data Drives More Relevant Experiences

Third-party data is valuable, but it can only go so far. According to Steve Tan, VP & general manager, EMEA/APAC for Airship, the most meaningful personalizations are driven by the data customers give you, rather than assumptions based on third-party information: “First-party data is so much more critical to delivering a better experience.”

Panelists also highlighted the importance of leveraging behavioral data from all of your customer touchpoints, asking customers for preferences and other feedback throughout the customer lifecycle, experimenting and testing, and using that ongoing feedback loop to design better experiences and products.

Digital Disrupters Set the Bar for Personalization

The panelists agreed that organizations like Amazon and Netflix set the bar for personalization. As a result, brands must reckon with rising consumer expectations as they work to design great customer experiences.

Angela Byrne, director of digital banking & transformation at NatWest explains how they’ve responded to those expectations in the banking and financial services space, “because actually being just ‘good enough’ is no longer enough… We have to be design-led from a consumer perspective.”

Steve Tan reflected on how basic personalizations like back-in-stock notifications or abandoned cart reminders have become must-haves for eCommerce organizations, which means they need to go even further to stand out from the crowd. Brands should strive to take their personalization to the next level by consistently experimenting and fine-tuning messaging and experiences using customer data in order to optimize results.

A Persona-Led Approach Helps Brands Focus Resources

Panelists emphasized that even with today’s advanced marketing technology, it’s rarely practical or advantageous to tailor experiences and products for every possible use case.

It’s a balancing act, explained Neil Kirby, marketing & consumer director of Bupa Global. If you go too deep, you risk getting something wrong and turning the customer off. The key is to be persona-led and use segmentation, so you can focus on creating relevant personalizations for your most valuable customers.

Mantas Ratomskis, head of CRM & retention at Kilo Health explains “you always have to keep in mind that 20% of your customers will create 80% of the value of the revenue, so you have to divide your resources to serve that 20% first.” 

He also described how at Kilo Health, despite offering more than 30 products and serving more than a million customers across the globe, “from a marketing perspective, we are technically dealing with just three micro-segments and our entire product development is all about those three segments.”

Brands Must Find & Manage Friction

Participants also discussed the importance of identifying and minimizing friction wherever possible, as well as managing customer expectations when factors like regulation impact the customer experience. 

Angela Byrne described how as a financial services brand, NatWest must balance the imperatives of delivering a seamless experience and providing a highly secure and compliant experience. For example, confirming a customer’s identity may create friction. However, “it’s a worthwhile disruption,” not only because of regulations but because her customers truly value security.

Holly Ainger, CMO at Nuffield Health, added that brands should address those experiences head-on by “being honest with the customer about that situation and explaining what we’re doing.” 

Conclusion

The good news, according to our panelists, is that advances in connectivity can help marketers overcome some of those challenges. Steve Tan pointed to opportunities to use mobile apps as controllers for other engagement channels and how that can reduce friction. Angela Byrne from NatWest emphasized the importance of investing in connectivity and APIs to drive those more connected experiences. Holly Ainger noted that while these investments can take some time, the COVID-19 pandemic has actually accelerated developments around APIs and connectivity. 

For more ideas and best practices from these experts, keep an eye out for parts two and three in this blog series, and download the full Raconteur report ‘The Future of Marketing and Customer Experience’ where you can read this article alongside other insightful opinions pieces and data reports on this topic.

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Data, Technology & Creativity Power Multi-Channel Communications

Orchestrating a consistent, relevant and engaging experience across channels remains a key challenge for brands. Our experts highlighted how they leverage technology, data and creativity to address it.

Angela Byrne, managing director of digital banking and transformation at NatWest described how data integration across platforms helps drive more effective cross-channel messaging. She highlights how advances in API connectivity, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, empower her team to leverage data from multiple-sources and create a more connected, seamless experience, regardless of which channel a customer chooses to engage on. 

Mantas Ratomskis, head of CRM and retention at Kilo Health added that while data and data revenancy are important, it’s up to marketers to harness data insights effectively and creatively: “You are in charge of making assumptions, segmenting that data correctly, predicting behavior, and then using tools like Airship to deliver messaging on the right channel.”

Consistency Is Key Across Customer Touchpoints

According to our panelists, the key to great omnichannel experiences is to make them as seamless as possible across all of your customer touchpoints.

For Neil Kirby, marketing and consumer director of Bupa Global, it’s essential that brand voice, values and messaging are relentlessly consistent, regardless of whether they are communicated in-person or via digital channels. He explained that brands certainly need to drive better digital engagement with data, but emphasizes that “we also need every single human being in the business to echo that value and deliver the same messages to customers”

Airship’s Steve Tan, VP and general manager, EMEA/APAC, echoed that sentiment. He explained that marketers must evolve from a channel-centric view to one that looks across every customer touchpoint, physical or digital, to create one consistent and seamless experience.

Customer Insights Drive Relevant, Real-Time Engagement 

Our experts also shared how they use customer insights and data to create better experiences, on the right channels, at each stage of the customer lifecycle. 

Steve Tan explained that today’s increasingly mobile consumers expect real-time engagement, and he touched on how automation powered by solutions like Airship’s customer engagement platform make that possible: “The future of marketing is less about scheduling campaigns and more about reacting and delivering real-time automation against behavior.”

Holly Ainger, CMO of Nuffield Health described how the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Nuffield to dig deeper into customer insights in order to better understand how customer needs have evolved during this challenging period: “We’ve done more research in the past 12 to 18 months than I genuinely think we ever have, and that has changed our whole approach to the customer value proposition.” 

Several panelists, including Mantas Ratomkis, highlighted the value of leveraging both data-driven insights and qualitative insights, including in-person research such as focus groups, and pointed to the importance of identifying the right timing for getting meaningful feedback. Customers are more likely to give feedback when something went particularly well or poorly, he explained, but that type of high emotion feedback is often irrelevant in terms of driving product and messaging decisions that create better day-to-day experiences with your brand. 

Angela Byrne described how at NatWest, their messaging evolves to meet the unique needs at each stage of the customer lifecycle. She explains that brands should not be afraid to confirm data with customers over the course of the lifecycle to ensure they’re delivering messages that meet those needs. Insights gathered online, in-app or through one-to-one engagement such as a live chat is crucial to designing low-friction experiences that mean more to customers. 

Conclusion

Our experts agree that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to creating great omnichannel experiences. But by leveraging technology, creativity and customer insights, brands can create better experiences at every customer touchpoint, throughout the customer lifecycle. 

For more ideas and best practices from these experts, keep an eye out for parts two and three in this blog series, and download the full Raconteur report ‘The Future of Marketing and Customer Experience’ where you can read this article alongside other insightful opinions pieces and data reports on this topic.

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Yet, to implement a successful strategy, brands must revamp elements of operations and customer engagement to deliver a seamless experience that meets high customer expectations. Inspired by our recent Radar + Airship webinar, here are 5 key questions brands must ask to help address that challenge and shape a BOPIS program that drives customer satisfaction and business impact.

Making the Business Case

How can you build internal momentum? 

61% of retailers say BOPIS is at the top of their omnichannel plans and investments. But, before making that investment, you need to pull together all the right pieces to make the business case. Airship Director of Technical Services Ramsey Kail suggests several focus areas. First, identify key teams such as in-store operations, ecommerce, order management, marketing, the app dev team and potentially impacted supply chain sources. Next, determine which systems are impacted, including ecommerce, inventory, and internal systems such as POS or in-store mobile apps. You’ll also need to plan for measurement and get alignment around the metrics you’ll use to measure ROI. We’ll take a closer look at measurement later in this post.

Communicating with Customers

How will you ensure customers are informed and engaged?

Next, think about the channels, touchpoints and messages that will keep customers informed and engaged throughout the BOPIS process. What do they need to know at each stage, from order confirmation to post-pickup? What channels make the most sense? And are you able to identify your customers across those different channels?

Several specific channel pairings are ideal for BOPIS customer communication. One is Email + Mobile App. If you email an order confirmation with a link encouraging a customer to download your app, you can then trigger a push message when their order is ready for pickup. Another perfect pairing is SMS + Mobile Wallet. Send a SMS order combination with a link to a mobile wallet pass so customers can find order info and pickup details anytime on their mobile devices. Plus, consumers tend to hang onto those mobile wallet passes, giving you another way to stay connected.

Building a Great Pickup Experience

How will you ensure a great experience once customers arrive?

Long wait times, unclear instructions or poor communication between customers and your associates can derail any click and collect experience. Simple solutions like signage can help (even the most humble of BOPIS efforts benefit from clear signage letting customers know where to go and what to do). However, according to Radar CEO Nick Patrick, consumer expectations for more seamless experiences are driving brands to invest in what he calls a V2 approach. BOPIS V2 experiences are digitally enabled, leveraging tech like Radar’s location tracing and Airship Live In-App Chat to facilitate clear instructions, two-way communication and greater value for customers (and staff!). Brands that get it right see dividends in the form of increased engagement, repeat purchases and improved operational efficiencies.

Keeping Customers Engaged Post-Purchase

How will you leverage post-purchase opportunities?

Follow-on messaging is an essential and often overlooked opportunity for getting customer feedback, upselling and cross-selling, and building customer loyalty. 

Use SMS, email or in-app surveys to understand customer sentiment from your digitally engaged customers. Drive add-on and repeat purchases by deploying post-purchase customer journeys with personalized offers or other tailored content. You can also enhance CX through automated messages with valuable information like assembly instructions, preparation details, or by educating customers about your loyalty program. 

Measuring Your BOPIS Service

How will you measure success?

BOPIS 2.0 spans physical and digital experiences. That’s why effective measurement requires looking at both customer engagement and operations metrics. 

From an engagement perspective, you’re likely to incorporate existing methods and metrics such as customer satisfaction surveys, repeat purchase behavior, average order value or loyalty sign-ups. On the operational side, focus areas include wait times, order quality, and order prep timing. These data points can help drive a virtuous cycle that generates improvements in both CX and operational efficiency. For example, adjusting when you trigger order preparation to ensure customers’ meals are fresh when they arrive can drive improved customer satisfaction.

For more ideas on how to create BOPIS experiences that deliver incredible value for your customers and brand, check out our How to Build Better BOPIS Experiences blog post as well as the webinar with Radar and Airship.

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