Three Pandemic-Born Customer Experience Trends That Are Here to Stay

The pandemic has spawned new trends in customer experience as a result of shifting consumer behaviors. And some are here to stay. Three trends—contactless shopping, subscription business models and SMS messaging—warrant marketing spend in 2021, according to an article in Multichannel Merchant.

Contactless Shopping

Contactless consumer experiences, including “buy online pickup in store” (BOPIS) and new payment options, have developed during the pandemic, adding more efficiency to shopping experiences. The challenge moving forward will be to implement technology that enables a smooth experience from back-end to front-end and considers inventory management, fulfillment and payment processing.

Subscriptions

Subscriptions are expedient and convenient for the consumer while allowing businesses to manage cash flow, predict demand and manage inventory. Moreover, delivering a quality customer experience at every interaction encourages retention.

SMS Messaging

Marketing to consumers through mobile devices is increasing. If your brand offers an SMS program, consider offering incentives on first orders, designing campaigns that are personalized and specific to text, and automating the process through a cloud-based marketing platform to allow for trigger messages.

For more on these marketing trends, read on in Multichannel Merchant.