7 ways personalisation reduces friction in the buying process

We are a nation of consumers.

In fact, in 2021 retail spending increased by 24% compared to 2019.

But that doesn’t mean the buying process doesn’t have its issues.

There are lots of opportunities throughout the journey for consumers to get distracted, have second thoughts, or be tempted by a competitor.

Fortunately, personalisation is key to helping brands reduce friction in the buying process.

And in this blog post, we will take you through 7 of our favourite ways to achieve just that.

Offer a warm welcome

Lack of engagement with a brand can be a key cause of friction in the buying process.

If a consumer doesn’t even know you exist, then why would they buy from you?

Personalised welcome campaigns are the perfect way to start a consumer/brand relationship off positively.

These emails should be sent as soon as a recipient signs up or makes an account with a brand. As this is the time when they are most engaged.

They should incorporate key information, such as delivery details and best sellers. But to add a real personalised edge to this email, add a personalised discount code that has an expiry date specific to the recipient. This will give them an extra incentive to make their first purchase asap.

Recommend relevant products

It’s 2021, and there’s a lot of choice for consumers.

Too much choice, some may argue.

This can be a real sticking point in the purchase process. If consumers are overwhelmed with different brands and products, they can give up on their purchase entirely.

Brands can remove this hurdle by using the purchaser’s past browsing and purchase data to promote the products that they are actually interested in.

This could be done via landing pages or email marketing, and can come in a variety of forms: similar items, frequently bought together, or customers also bought.

Dynamically update prices and availability

If a consumer has spent hours looking for the perfect item at the perfect price. Then there’s nothing more disappointing than realising the items are out of stock or have gone up in price.

As well as being disappointed, the consumer could give up on their shopping experience entirely, or postpone it to a later date.

To avoid this, brands can utilise dynamic content in both emails and landing pages to automatically update prices and availability specific to the products of interest.

This information will then be refreshed every time a consumer opens their email, or refreshes the landing page. So it is always up to date.

Notify of stock changes

Alternatively, if the consumer has been regularly browsing a product that is out of stock, then let them know as soon as it’s available again.

Stock change emails can let the recipient know when an item is back in stock, or when an item they have been browsing is getting low in stock.

The former will encourage them to make that purchase which they’ve been waiting for. While the latter will encourage them not to hang around, and to snap the item up before others do.

Offer reminders with retargeting emails

Consumers can be easily distracted when it comes to shopping.

They may regularly browse a product, but haven’t felt the urge to purchase yet. Or even added a product to their online basket, just to forget about it, or have second thoughts.

These consumers are clearly on the fence, so brands need to provide them with useful information, reassurance, and give them a nudge to make that purchase.

Retargeting emails can utilise an individual’s browsing behaviour to automate personalised communications that do exactly that.

Brands can send out abandoned browse or abandoned basket emails specific to the product. And include useful information such as price, customer reviews, product details, and even a discount code as a final sweetener.

Get store-specific

Over the pandemic, many consumers grew increasingly comfortable with the online shopping experience.

However, as the world begins to open up, brands are keen to promote their bricks and mortar stores. And encourage high street fans back to their shops.

After all, for some consumers, you cannot beat physically browsing products, being able to experience them in-store, and speak to someone face to face.

To help promote this experience, brands can use geolocation data to send out communications advertising the store closest to each recipient.

Geotargeting is also useful for promoting offline events, launches, and sales. Moving consumers who prefer a face-to-face experience along the buying journey.

Send reminders with replenishment campaigns

Once a customer has made their first purchase, the hard work isn’t done.

It costs 5 times more to bring on a new customer than to sell to an existing one. Therefore, brands shouldn’t forget about their current customer base.

To encourage customers to come back for more, brands can send out replenishment campaigns to remind them of products they purchase regularly.

This could include medical supplies, cosmetics, food, and even greetings cards.

By sending out a personalised email to these customers before it’s time for them to purchase again, they ensure they are at the forefront of customers’ minds. So that they don’t stray to a competitor.

Is your buying process full of friction?

At Pure360, we offer an all-in-one AI email and web marketing platform alongside a Customer Success Team whose sole mission is to get you better results.

Get in touch with us today to learn how our personalisation options can make your customer journey a smooth one.