A life lived in “micro-moments”

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” or “Life is the sum of the chances we take and the moments we seize”, whichever school of thought you subscribe to consciously or subconsciously as an individual, as a marketer you now have access to almost every moment of a consumer’s life, in fact, not just moments but what Google now refers to as “micro-moment”

 

BTW, just in case you don’t consider me or Google enough to define it for you, here is what the AMA (American Marketing Association) has to say “A micro-moment is a mobile moment that requires only a glance to identify and delivers quick information that you can either consume, or act on immediately”

For the first time in history you now have access to every micro-moment in a consumer’s life…the question is what will you to with it, or what can you do with it?

Today with analytics tools you know exactly when a potential customer has a craving for Chinese food / Adidas Incurza cricket bat / Star Wars Cast Signed Autographed 8 X 10 RP Photo #8 – Mint Condition / Tom Cruise’s latest blockbuster or just Tom Cruise in general, the possibilities are endless and so are the options to satisfy them.

Digressing, in my case today, it’s the new OnePlus 2 and trust me, OnePlus guys are just making it harder by not doing enough to capture my need, which is almost reached an obsession right now.

But, you as a marketer know exactly what someone wants before they  have made up their minds, not because of some magic 8-ball but because the consumers tell you outright – as they are searching for it on their mobiles. A recent Google/Ipsos study has the stats to prove it:

• 67% of millennial agree that they can find a YouTube video onanything they want to learn
• 91% of smartphone users turn to their smartphone for ideas while doing a given task

Add to that beacon technologies and wearables and imagine the depth of access you have (no no no that’s not what I meant…) will circumvent the intrusiveness debate here and stay focused on the marketing potential.

It’s pretty much the norm of how people “multitask” now. Our buying decision-making journeys are fractured into hundreds of real-time, almost sub-conscious intent-driven micro-moments.

Each one is a critical opportunity for brands to shape our decisions and preferences.

So will you be the one that answers next time your customer wakes up in the middle of the night and searches “…what color streaks in my beard will bring out the blue in my eyes?”

Ma Foi Analytics

5 Essential Ingredients to make “Personalization” count

Retailers know all too well that “Personalization” is mandatory for winning customers and forging life-long loyalty. But what many don’t realize is that their efforts aren’t always having the desired effect with consumers. The techniques retailers once used to broadcast their brand to a wide audience are no longer relevant.

Shoppers are on-the-go and often time-challenged. With the number and variety of products online,  they truly value when a retailer shows its familiarity with their individual personal preferences, current interests and purchase history to present them with products they are mostly likely to be interested in and want to purchase.

Still the facts paint a different picture. 83% of retail marketers think they do a satisfactory job in personalizing experiences for consumers, according to research from Adobe. The same survey indicates that only 29% of consumers feel retailers effectively offer them personalized content or offers.

So what does it take to make personalization count?

1. Put the “Person” first in personalization – 94% of businesses say personalization is critical to their engagement efforts, but only 25% of companies are using their data ‘to a great extent’ to do it effectively, according to a poll from Accenture. In the effort to target the masses, retailers forget to understand the context needed to create a truly engaging personalized experience. It is essential for them to understand that in order to be successful , they need to connect with customer at a personal level.

2. Understand the journey all the way– It is now imperative that retailers show they recognize and understand consumers at each stage of the buying process. Analyzing the signals that a consumer shares through past purchases, both online and in person like the items they added to their cart, conversations held with customer service, special offers redeemed, store visits or branded app interactions can provide all the information required about customers without even asking them

3. Be relevant to be desirable – Acknowledging that while personalized offers of discounts are probably more effective than generic ones, it is also true that customers still expect more than overt pitches to grab at their wallets. They want something meaningful and truly helpful. Meaningful relevance emerges when content meets context. It’s a powerful alliance, for sure, and one that signals to the customer that you’re right there with her, in step and in the know.

4. Be agile and up to speed – Speed matters. Shoppers will be most responsive to real time offers when they are on the retail website, or at the physical store. Serving up relevant information or offers in a timely fashion matters to making the personalized experience count. Machine learning software, made easier by cloud-based development modules, can help retailers meet the speed requirement.

5. Transparency is the key– There is a thin line between being “cool” and being “creepy”. Being personal doesn’t mean you need to invade the customers’ privacy and turn them off. It’s about providing enough value that they will trade it for their customer data. The best way is to be open and get their permission to interact. Maintain goodwill by keeping their personal information safe using robust security processes and controls.

The battle to win customers and customer loyalty has never been fiercer. In this hyper digital world, consumers want more than just deals and coupons and express delivery offers. They want retailers to listen to their unique needs and preferences, and deliver products that are relevant to them as individuals.

The bottom line is – whether its greeting customers as they enter your store, sending personalized emails, tailoring deals based on previous purchase behaviour or a “recommended products” section – personalization promotes customer loyalty. The real challenge is that it’s going to take consistent experience-creation and real-time relevance to not only grab customers but also keep them coming back to you again and again.

And we all know that loyalty is just as valuable (if not more) as attracting new customers.

Photo credits- marketo.com, miginsurance, stpsystems

-Ankita Asthana (Product Manager)

Ma Foi Analytics

“Want a Powerful Customer Experience? Then Listen up!”

At a time when it’s never been easier to reach out to consumers with information, it has conversely become harder than ever to engage them. Today’s consumer is well informed, technically savvy and extremely experienced when it comes to shopping in traditional and virtual channels. Constantly connected, he is sophisticated and has high expectations around service, value, offers and choice. The power has definitely shifted into his hands and it’s now up to companies to deliver superior customer experience to meet the rising expectations at each and every touchpoint.

It is not that companies do not want to engage better but they constantly struggle to understand what their customers really want. They devise complex algorithms and predictive modelling techniques to churn tones of customer data for insights but most of them fail to make an impact.

So, we are back to the million dollar question – What does a customer really want? Here is a simple checklist of what “I” as a customer expect from retailers-

Recognize and remember me– Its simple – I know your brand and what you promise to offer but do you know me? If I have interacted with you earlier, why do I need to provide the same information time and again. I don’t want to be asked about my account number five times by five different people in a bank!  Try to reduce the frustration and make it easier for me to reach out.

Anticipate my preferences and take action- Don’t treat me like another data point on your sheet. Take time to understand my preferences and anticipate what I would like or not like. Help me in my buying journey be it in-store or online. Empower your sales staff to treat me well. Be personal: Surprise and delight me with offers meant just for me!

Communicate with me consistently through all the devices and methods I use- Know my preferred communication channel and take my permission to follow me without being creepy! Don’t confuse me. Make sure all your communications are pleasant and easy to comprehend. Share relevant content that conveys value for me without going overboard.

Use what you learn about me to help me with all my needs- Pick up signals that I leave while I am in store or online. Whether it’s in your merchandising, staff friendliness & knowledge or in store promotions, you need to offer me something that will force me to keep coming back. Enrich your understanding of my present and future needs and find out new ways to engage with me.

Be there when I need you, in real time– I live in the “now” and expect immediate results. I don’t want to spend my time rummaging through your various channels to register my concerns. Take action on what bothers me and intervene instantly when it actually matters.

Is all of this that difficult? Not really. Thanks to advances in information technology, data gathering techniques and analytics. Using increasingly granular data, from detailed demographics and psychographics to consumers’ clickstreams on the web, businesses have everything they need to know about customers. The only thing to do is to make the insights actionable and use it intelligently to get the best returns.

Customers know what they want. Are you listening??

 

Photo credits – wordpress, Wikipedia, adobe.com,noobpreneur.com

Virtual Assistants to Virtual Data Brokers…

“Ok Google!! What next?”

The way the Virtual assistant world is shaping up, at least in the consumer space, I wonder how dependencies will shape up as we learn and unlearn new ways of life. Google Now is a god send for sure, half of the time as I unlock my phone for one reason or another (most of the time it’s just habit!!), I inadvertently look at the google now page and smile – as it tells me that I should be all set for my upcoming trip to Delhi in two days and that it’s damn hot as always). The other half is…what who wants to read this and why should I listen to this song. You are left for more and I wonder why Google can’t pull it off with the army of great engineers at their disposal.

Challenge accepted, however it’s not an easy problem to crack. After all of us are dissimilar at so many levels that building an engine which learns me and responds/ interacts with me in a totally personalized way is still a dream.

Having said that, how about the enterprise world. Let’s look at an organization. Although there are different stakeholders and departments, the processes that define the organization, the language, the interpretation of numbers, the implicit and explicit understanding has a lot of similarity and hence makes it a good candidate to model. To build a system like this – what should be the starting point? Most of the enterprises have internal insights group that becomes the one department working with research vendors, internal stakeholders in answering business queries and helping businesses with insights. Most of the time the challenge with the insights group is that they spend a lot of time in administrative work – working with vendors, ensuring research is done in time, is of quality and then working on business queries that come to them at unpredictable rate.

Imagine a situation, where the insights team & the business teams have a data insights assistant at their call.

“Ok Doodle!!” “What is the screen size preference of segment A in China”

“Ok Doodle” “Forecast our current sales performance for the rest of the year”

This will not only free up a lot of time, it will also help the insights group in focusing on more complex studies. Mind you – the backbone of building a model like this will be the learnings that the machine will infer from the general behavior of the insights team. In my mind solving this has a larger purpose for organizations and will open up the next frontier of battle royale. Till that time –

“Ok Google” “Make me Sleep now”

Ashish Rishi, AVP Analytics

Follow: @rishilost

Appscape

Every now and then a trend picks up steam and starts to become a go to solution within a vertical and sometimes across verticals as well. Example: Hot these days (or may be dying already!!) is the 360 degree view of the customer. The ability of an organization to be able to see all customer data points in a simple connected framework.

The advantages of a comprehensive view are obvious, reminds me of the perennial problem we face in India, where without any centralized view all government departments do their bit in pieces – so a fresh road is laid today ( possibly because election dates are coming !!!) and the same road is dug out the very next day for laying fibre optic cables. (a la focus on connectivity is a must!!).

A customer service rep not aware of the loyalty status of the customer, using a hard tactic to upsell where the customer doesn’t ever make a purchase in that department. A lot of these dots can be connected and improved upon if – information is made available to all, made relevant and contextual. Which is achieved keeping customer at the centre and creating a 360 degree view of him.

I think the current mobile operating systems are designed to work in silos, that’s purely because the way the app ecosystem is designed, app developers view their own apps in singularity. Meaning the customer interaction with the app and the need that the app is solving for is an end to itself, which is not really the case. What was the last time you unlocked your phone and given the context did not interact with more than one app. Think about it?? Ever or never.

The current operating systems have this flaw. Although the systems are intelligent, they are so only within their own app universe. So a Google now (I love Google…wait a sec…Alphabet!!) makes me smile every now and then, But then it’s app integration is miles away (atleast I haven’t yet felt the moment). For me this integration today is limited to Feedly (for the stuff I read ) and Wynk (for the stuff I listen to) this could be just me!!.

The mobile OS of the next iteration will have to create an open App platform, sort of like a 360 degree view of the app data exchange. This to me is the next frontier. To create a completely intelligent system that is able to interact with me with a complete context will have to listen to data exchange at all times.

More like a appograhic profile of a customer!!!

Ashish Rishi, AVP Analytics

Follow: @rishilost

Attention is a gift!!!

The title of a recent @briansolis blog caught my attention, well and for a surprisingly longer time than I would have liked, reading the blog and then the LinkedIn e-book associated with it “Attention is Currency”, made me realize how much of an anomaly that was. Brian goes on dramatically elucidate that our attention spans are down to 8 secs…(there is a house-fly joke there somewhere, but I meander …and in the process validate the hypothesis…though I think it’s more of an established theory now…and there I go again)

Trying hard to come back to the topic it, made me realize is that really what we have become? I mean one hears of phrases like ‘instant gratification’ generation thrown around almost all day, but what does that really mean. We know the most obvious references to dating or the lack of it when it comes to lifestyle preferences of the generation but what does it mean to a marketer.

How do you be the ‘heartthrob’ for a generation that would have moved on to the next “flavor of the month, scratch that …of the second”. How does a marketer keep the customer’s attention for longer than the now scientifically proven 8 secs? While there are 4.6 Billion (yes with a B, pieces of content being created every day) to fight you for that 8 seconds of attention.

Well I can’t begin to fathom the genius of my 8th grade English teacher who saw this coming all those years ago and tried so hard to cement “Succinct, Succinct, Succinct” (it’s a funny word right! and said three times still makes me giggle, just the words, not if I hear them in her tone of voice) into our writing style. I apologize Mrs.M, I am still trying, I promise to cut a few runny sentences from this piece as well.

Not to mention that this validates, someone who definitely doesn’t need my validation, the master attention grabber himself, Steve Jobs, he had it nailed down pat and I don’t mean with his bare minimum text on slides, (which in itself is commendable) but in his messaging recall about the “Think Different” campaign way back in 1997. Simple black and white headshots and two words…he knew for sure what was coming. The true genius of the man though is not the succinct (someone listened to you Mrs. M) copy – two words on the page, but the clearly identifiable powerful story behind the visual.

That is a universal and time-tested truth that marketers can take solace in, no matter how much the medium changes (140 characters, 6 sec of video) the crux to grabbing attention will always be the same, a powerful story – a story one can relate to, identify with, how you tell it is now entirely up to you. (but yes…preferably in 8 seconds)

Rachit Ahuja, AVP Global Marketing
@racahuja

Are you listening to your customers?

The digital revolution has forever altered how customers and brands engage, The first casualty of this is change is the beaten path retailers used to attract customers, drive sales and define loyalty.

It’s all about the money, honey. Makes way for it’s all about the mobile, honey – engagement and 24/7 connectivity, as consumers search via multiple touch-points to find the best deals and products. Smartphones haven’t just changed the way shoppers used to locate, decide and make purchases, they  are the way shoppers locate, decide and buy.

• For much of the 2014 holiday season, mobile shopping clicks exceeded those on the desktop indicating purchase decisions being made on the go.
  An IDC study suggests that 71% of shoppers who use smartphones for product research in-store say that it’s become an important part of the experience – People use smartphones as their new personal shopping assistant inside the store.

What does this mean?  Simply, that customer loyalty is not just about a single experience and it begins even before the first point of contact. For those retailers who want to stay relevant, understand this – customer loyalty today is now a derivation of – price, feedback from social channels, product availability, and convenience to name a few.

-That’s where analytics comes in…

One of the industry’s major game changers is retail analytics. With retail analytics, you are able to achieve a deeper understanding of the customer to enable retailers to engage customers real-time and gain a competitive advantage.

As technology has progressed the retail experience, too, has evolved from manual to digital. Enabling  digital shopping lists, and computerized and customized reminders, which can include everything from food expiration dates to meetings and appointments. Additionally, as we advance to more digital experiences, in-store navigation and beacon technology have become fundamental to assist customers in their shopping experience. e.g, these technologies can help customers find desired items and quickly navigate the store as they receive personalized offers – all leading to a more engaged and satisfied customer

Mobile apps have also become ubiquitous (Want me to prove it…well there is an app for that too…) and an important enabler to customer engagement, providing boundless opportunities for customized content for brand-related events, store maps, personalized rewards, and shopping lists and customized coupons, while the customer is going about his planning outside of your store premise.

The enormous amount of data being generated through mobile apps – clickstream, behavioral & geo-location data when combined together generate possibilities of mapping the customers effectively to offers, meaningful product recommendations and personalization of experience. Not only does it make sense from a ROMI standpoint, but also provides a rewarding experience to the customer,  fueling customer loyalty.

Customer preference for customized experiences is already validated. According to a combined study by Google, Ipsos MediaCT and Sterling Brands – 85% of shoppers are more likely to visit and purchase from stores that offer personalized coupons and exclusive offers provided in-store.

And as more retailers embrace the omni-channel strategy, we will see a vast amount of data flowing from multiple sources – the web (social media and e-commerce), various other digital platforms (app/mobile) and from the brick and mortar store transactions. The key here is to make sure you use this data efficiently to generate the right insight for targeted business decisions. And here is where analytics is the game changer – aiding decision making across functions:

• Merchandising: Store-layout planning or assortment optimization
• Supply Chain: Demand forecasting, inventory management, vendor management
• Marketing: Optimizing media and promotion spends, understanding consumer behavioral patterns
• Operations: Category management, fraud detection and loss prevention
• Human Resources: Effective work force allocations

Conclusion

Analytics can help retailers personalize effectively, picking from golden sawdust of data generated across channels. Whether selling online, in-store or both, this is where data comes into play, and what you do with the data will separate the winners from those who are just “figuring it out.” And when you engage your customer as an individual, you gain a distinct competitive business advantage as now you have earned your opportunity to successfully cross-sell and up-sell to the customer as you provided her an enhanced shopping experience.

Rachit Ahuja, AVP Global Marketing, Ma Foi Analytics
@racahuja

Omnichannel Behaviour Is Not The Future, It’s The Present!

Its The Present

“Omnichannel behaviour is not the future, it’s the present”, seemed to be the consensus in a recent Retailers’ conference in Mumbai organized by NASSCOM. Omnichannel retail occupied centre-stage in discussions among delegates, from the retail world and from the technology companies alike.

While retailers largely acknowledge that offline purchases are influenced by online reviews (according to a survey by Dimensional Research, 90% of customers admit to that), and therefore advocate strong social media marketing, there are considerations other than product research (and, price of course!!) that merit attention on the part of the retailers and the technology providers alike.

What Constitutes Omnichannel Behavior

So, what constitutes omni channel behaviour and how do retailers respond to that, profitably? Some thought leaders assert that omni-channel behaviour is about discovery first, delivery later. Certain others see omni-channel realities as nothing more than a convergence of empowerment across channels.  Perhaps a more encompassing definition comes from a recent Sales Force whitepaper: “Mobile devices, ubiquitous connectivity, and social media have created empowered customers who are no longer loyal to a retail brand but to an experience across channels”

So How Do Retailers Engage With The New Present

Some retailers are approaching it holistically. A creative and yet tactical response has been to tweak the POS system at the retailer’s end and calibrate it as a unified transaction platform. This allows the retailer to retain the customer within the brand, if not within the store. While this is indeed a novel use of technology, quantifiable success stories are yet to emerge out of these initiatives.

This Is Where Analytics Comes In

According to a RAI trade brief, Shoppers Stop has earmarked Rs 60-crore investment for tech push to become a seamless omni-channel retail store by end of 2016. Other retailers are expected to respond on similar lines. A strong tech layer is a must have as it is the primary enabler of the omni-channel behaviour itself. However, the critical success factor would be to derive insights from the data being generated with these multi-channel, multi-period & multi-tool customer – retailer interactions.

The Key Imperative For Retailers

 

Drafting an agile multi-channel customer engagement strategy based on data would be the key imperative for retailers. Retailers are realizing that the attention span of the customer is going further down continuously. A strong analytics layer which allows for contextual engagement of the customer in real time will be a critical success factor in operationalizing any customer centric strategy.

We at Ma Foi Analytics believe in coming up with creative tools that empower retailers to engage with the customer meaningfully, and in real time. For example, our in-store customer feedback capture tool Servesmart is a simple and yet powerful means to capture customer expectations. In its simplest version, Servesmart tracks customer experience against customer expectations and through an embedded analytics layer on a tablet device, prompts the store associate to act in a certain way to manage experience.

In its more evolved stage, Servesmart interacts seamlessly with the POS system and transactions databases through web-services. This allows for personalization of product recommendation, dynamic pricing and customization of on the spot offers. The device in the hands of the store associate empowers her to further service the customer meaningfully. It allows for both discovery, and delivery in an omni-channel world.

It’s a Big Data Situation

Retailers also need to come to terms with the volume, velocity and variety of the data generated through omni-channel interactions. In other words, retailers need to recognize that it’s a big data situation, and put in place systems and processes commensurate with the scale. Partnering with analytics companies providing swift analytical layer along with management of the massive data infrastructure, would be a winning move at this juncture.

Vishal Sinha, Senior Manager, Ma Foi Analytics

connect with me on twitter @tovishalsinha

7 Awesome Reasons to work for a Start-up!

Ever wondered what it would be like to work for a startup? Always felt tempted, but never really decided to ‘take the plunge’? So did I, but then I did take a leap of faith and it has indeed been rewarding to say the least.

Working at a startup is challenging, but it provides a unique environment to learn things that are otherwise hard to learn in big companies. While those who work for corporations typically know what is expected of them on a daily basis, at a startup, responsibilities may change each day. All you need is an open mind, loads of patience and a never say die attitude. Don’t believe me, here are a few reasons working for a startup is the right choice:

1. Keep Calm and Say Hello to sleepless nights!  – Be prepared to be thrown in the deep end from Day One. Incredible expectations, crazy deadlines and sleepless nights are the norm- better get used to it. As they say , “No pain, No gain”.

2. Job Description- You must be kidding! – Well if you are looking for a perfect job description set out for you, you are at the wrong place. At a startup, your title is irrelevant as you end up plugging the gaps, wherever possible. If you’ve worked as a manager, you may suddenly find yourself doing menial tasks like drafting bills. Although the wide range of activities imparts a wealth experience, it’s important that one feels comfortable performing all types of tasks.
3. Regular office hours? What’s that?- If you want to work in a startup, say good bye to your dream of working in a 9 to 5 setup. This really doesn’t work, since you are expected to focus on getting the job done rather than clocking the hours. Your work schedule is quite flexible and regular late nights in office is not a big deal.
4. You have the “Power” in your hands!- Any startup environment offers room to experiment like an entrepreneur .When you work for a startup, you can see the value in the work you do. You can bounce your opinions, ideas and insecurities, without being bogged down by official norms or politics. You are treated like an integral member of the team and are expected to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. At the end of the day , being part of something substantial for the organization gives you a different kind of high.
5. But, Don’t forget with “Great Power comes Great responsibility”- In a start-up, everyone must pull their weight for the company to succeed, and as a newbie you will be no exception to this rule. You are expected to bring new ideas to the table and work towards making them successful. You end up working independently on projects from the start and learn to micro manage. That doesn’t mean you can’t fail but you must be able to accept your mistakes and learn from them
6. Share the craziness with those who matter– Startups are almost invariably made up of passionate, excited people who are working there because theytruly want to be working there, and it’s something special to be a part of that. You are bound to have a shared sense of motivation, a stake in the company’s success, and the opportunity to craft your own role. Be it birthday parties, farewells or random treats, you will enjoy every minute of it with people who really matter.
7. Be fearless and “Enjoy the Ride” – All said and done, there always something new to take back home from office- a feeling of elation that you achieved something substantial for your company. You get used to this feeling and nothing can change that. When you are fearless, dedicated and all set to get things rolling, there’s no one can stop you. You would soon start enjoying the ride rather than running away from it.

Photo credits – memgen.com; memegenerator.net; minions trailer (YouTube); somecards.com