We’re currently in an age of rapid transformation within the marketing industry. Paul North writes about how the pandemic has forced marketers to re-evaluate strategies and prioritise the digital customer experience more than in the past. 

Today, approximately 73 percent of customers purchase items based solely on overall experience, behind the price and product quality. 

With the digital landscape rapidly changing and customer expectations continuing to climb, marketers must improve their strategy and invest in new solutions to stay ahead of the competition. Since the marketing landscape continues to rapidly evolve, what key trends are reshaping the industry? And how can marketers remain competitive in the next two years? 

Meeting the demands for personalisation 

In the next two years, marketers should expect and prepare for personalisation to reshape the world of marketing. According to research 71 percent of customers expect companies to provide personalised interactions. Seventy-six percent of customers get disappointed when personalisation isn’t offered. With customers today expecting exceptional experiences, it’s crucial that marketers make the digital experience a core focus in strategy.

Digital experience platforms (DXP) are crucial tools that help build, manage and optimise digital customer journeys. A DXP not only analyses customer data, it uses that analysis to customise the experience for each consumer. For example, ecommerce fashion leader, Showpo, continues to elevate customer experience and remain competitive by delivering personalised digital experiences to all customers. By meeting customer demands for personalisation, marketers can stay competitive by attracting new customers while building long-term customer loyalty. 

Delivering omnichannel digital experiences 

Wherever customers go, and however they interact with you, they expect a consistent and seamless experience. Your omnichannel marketing strategy should present your content and messaging consistently across all relevant channels — in-store, on your website, mobile apps, emails, social media platforms, partner platforms and wherever else customers may be looking.

By focusing on the customer experience across all channels, marketers can present a consistent brand identity to customers. The focus should be on establishing a constant presence for and persistent relationship with each consumer, building a genuine relationship.  

Embracing experimentation 

With consumers demanding more personalised content and experiences than ever before, the marketers that not only survive but thrive will be the ones who invest in digital tools to make experimentation and agility seamless within their business. Not only do marketers need to be open to the idea of change, but they must also actively harness technology to drive new ways to engage with customers and grow. 

For example, The Country Road Group constantly makes improvements to its website by embracing a proper, data-led approach and an agile way of working. It leans into innovation by learning and adapting with each customer experience. It keeps on top of trends to ensure it’s a leading market rather than following. 

As we move into the next two years, it’s essential that marketers re-evaluate strategies to ensure they harness the capabilities of digital technologies. These technologies will help you build genuine relationships with your customers across multiple touchpoints, ensuring that you keep up with rapidly changing consumer expectations. 

Paul North is the senior vice president APJ at Optimize.