Currently, shopping experiences and the economy influence purchase decisions significantly. We live in a digital-first world, no doubt. More and more, retailers need to create personalized, memorable experiences aligned with their brand values to succeed. Especially during #COVID-19, #recession, and #war when customer sentiment is low.
The retail industry is suffering from what's being called a major crisis. In addition to demand fluctuating constantly, supply chain breakdowns and rapid increases in operating expenses only exacerbate these problems.
What can retail organizations do to overcome this? Implementing a powerful IT solution.
So why Salesforce?
We all browse online, either for ideas or to buy something, but when things get tricky, it can be frustrating. As we navigate through each site, we get a feel for the customer experience. During this period of time, we decide whether to buy from the retailer...or not. Bottom line, customer experience, including ease of shopping and customer service, is a HUGE factor in driving sales.
Salesforce can help retailers improve customer experience and loyalty. Moreover, they can collect and harness customer data, automate processes, and fully understand customer behaviour, which will allow them to maximize marketing, sales, and customer service.
According to Salesforce 'Our integrated CRM platform for retail will help you unite your teams, create compelling commerce and marketing experiences, and deliver consistent service at every moment. Unify marketing, commerce, service, and IT data on one connected retail platform.'
How does it do this?
Salesforce integration enables teams to get a 360-degree view of every customer throughout their shopping journey, so retailers can meet customers' expectations with a customized shopping experience.
Enhancing the customer experience.
Today's consumers use multiple channels to learn about and connect with companies; I use google, instagram, tik tok it. It's these diverse channels of communication that make it tough for retail companies to reach the right customers at the right time. It's not a problem for Salesforce. With a 360-degree view of customer interactions across all channels and touchpoints, retailers can figure out what customers want and produce the most appropriate offering at the right time for the right customer.
Retail organizations need positive customer experiences to grow. As for me, if the customer experience is not satisfactory, I won't buy from you. Providing a seamless, hassle-free buying experience is of the utmost importance for retailers since most customers expect high-quality shopping experiences across all channels. When implemented effectively, Salesforce helps retailers deliver a fully contextualized, tailored experience that leads to high customer satisfaction.
Streamline your retail operations in real time
Increasing operational expenses and fluctuating demand are major challenges in retail. How do retailers tackle this? By improving operational efficiency and inventory management. But what use is it if you don't have real-time data? Salesforce gives you access to real-time sales and marketing data. If we take stock/inventory operations as an example, using Salesforce a clothing brand can view real-time sales data of a popular Christmas jumper in their store, thus enabling them to estimate how many quantities of the product remain and how many more they expect to sell; they can then restock at the appropriate time. Consequently, you can prevent the store from running out of stock. A great solution, right?
Predictive data analytics - No code needed!
Analyzing marketing and sales data manually to identify business trends and estimate demand is outdated. It's evidently critical to forecast demand in real time. The solution is simple... SALESFORCE. With predictive analytics, you can estimate retail product demand in a few clicks. In addition, you can forecast revenue by division and develop complex business risk and strategy models.
Easy peasy.
- Personalized communication based on a deeper understanding of customers. Using Salesforce CRM's predictive intelligence, you can predict customer behavior and build appropriate responses.
- Segment your customers better Every industry needs customer segmentation, but retail is particularly relevant. Your marketing strategy and customer experience rely on this. The Salesforce marketing cloud offers retail-specific segmentation services. Based on demographics, geography, behavior, and spending habits, you can segment your audience effectively.
- Win customer loyalty and trust with more productive marketing campaigns. Retail is powered by marketing tools that gather customer data. For increased lead generation and conversions, Salesforce lets you customize one-to-one emails, messages, and social media content for shoppers. You can manage discounts, rewards, and loyalty programs to grow your customer base.
- Customer service that's second to none. With Salesforce Service Cloud, retail businesses can solve customer issues effectively and quickly using AI, analytics, and automation. Ever been on a website that had a little chat box to help you out? Live chatbots make it easier for retail representatives to deal with customer questions and issues.
Retail organizations can use Salesforce to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction, streamline their operations, and manage the constantly changing demand for their products.
