Overcoming customer devotion obstacles amidst complex manufacturing obstructions
Managing Customer Experience amidst Product Shortages and Delayed Shipments
Navigating product shortages and shipping delays can be tricky for retailers, but it's not a hopeless cause. By adopting a customer-centric approach, you can turn these challenges into opportunities to strengthen relationships and build loyal customer bases. Monica Deretich, a retail industry advisor at Sailthru, offers some practical tactics.
Towards Open Communication
Open dialogue is key to bridging gaps caused by hiccups in the supply chain. From Deretich's experience, customers merely yearn for their concerns to be acknowledged. Simple, straightforward messages like "We're sorry, we're working on it" can go a long way in easing tensions. Channeling direct marketing methods such as email, SMS, website updates, or mobile app notifications ensures swift and accurate communication. Establishing service level agreements triggers alerts when orders fail to ship within predefined periods, keeping customers informed without overburdening customer support teams.
Retailers should steer clear of tempting fate by featuring delayed items in personalized recommendations or soliciting reviews prior to delivery. Such tactics may inadvertently dampen spirits instead of enticing buyers.
Proactive Automations
With 60% of shoppers reporting out-of-stock items in the past three months, inventory management becomes a make-or-break aspect of retail. To cater to this growing concern, retailers must consider offering back-in-stock alerts and personalized recommendations for similar products. An attention-grabbing headline like "Available Now" with relatable alternatives may reel in buyers eager for instant gratification.
In addition, automating makeup-good incentives within the post-purchase communication flow can empower customers to return to your store even in the face of delay. Everlane has employed this approach during holiday seasons by offering incentives to their valued customers.
Exclusive Perks for High-Value Customers
Pampering your loyal customers isn't merely politeness; it's smart business. By using metrics such as loyalty status or lifetime customer value, retailers can launch e-gift card and bonus offers when a customer's average order value hits a desired threshold. Creating special promotions, such as the "Mother's Day Away" campaign from Kraft, showcases your commitment to customers while driving spend.
Redefining the Return Experience
Returns are an integral part of the customer journey, and retailers must handle them with care. While online orders usually result in three times more returns than in-store purchases, a well-executed return experience can reconvert customers. Retailers can create post-return lifecycle touchpoints with confirmation and update triggers or employ segmentation tactics to tailor responses based on customer tenure or product resonance. Tailored win-back series, commonly triggered by specific return reasons, can help seal the deal yet again.
A Single View of the Customer
The aforementioned strategies revolve around various automations and personalized experiences, which necessitates seamless integration of multiple platforms to access unified customer data. By consolidating platforms or orchestrating communication from a single unified platform, retailers can ensure consistent and timely communication to nurture customers over the long haul.
Stakes Butted High
In today's competitive retail landscape, the importance of mastering personalization is magnifying. Retail organizations adept at building and scaling personalization capabilities can stimulate double-digit revenue growth, exceptional retention, and enduring customer relationships[6]. Embracing these strategies during product shortages and delivery delays may just be that winning advantage you need.
- The war against product shortages and shipping delays demands open communication with customers, as they appreciate being acknowledged and updated.
- Instead of showcasing delayed items or seeking reviews before delivery, retailers should focus on transparency, sending messages like "We're sorry, we're working on it".
- Proactive automations such as back-in-stock alerts and personalized recommendations can help manage inventory shortages and entice customers.
- Offering incentives for high-value customers, based on loyalty status or lifetime customer value, can drive spending and foster loyalty.
- The return experience should be redefined, with a well-executed process helping to reconvert customers and create post-return lifecycle touchpoints.
- In the face of competition, retailers must have a single view of their customers, integrating multiple platforms to access unified customer data.
- Mastering personalization in the midst of product shortages and delivery delays can lead to double-digit revenue growth, exceptional retention, and enduring customer relationships.
