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An executive conversation
with Greg Brown,
vice president of global
marketing, Melissa Data
Clean data helps build faster order
fulfillment and stronger customer relationships
Until 2019, shopping for groceries or medicine online was a How can they leverage data to improve
niche activity. But that changed when COVID-19 hit, and officials customer experiences?
set protective lockdowns in place. Overnight, home delivery was Adding data quality tools to your online storefront, marketing
no longer a convenience, but a necessity. And that sentiment has and sales platforms is a straightforward way to improve the
persisted. As the pandemic threat subsides, consumers seem to customer experience while reducing the costs and friction that
have changed their habits for good. To discuss how improving prevent meaningful contact with customers.
data quality helps online retailers meet and exceed customers’
new online shopping expectations, Digital Commerce 360 spoke To borrow from the iconic 1970s TV series “The Six Million Dollar
with Greg Brown, vice president of global marketing at Melissa.
Man”: We have the technology. We can make e-tailing better than
it was. Better, faster, stronger. Clean, accurate customer data
How has ecommerce changed since the helps build better customer interactions, faster order fulfillment
start of the pandemic?
and stronger customer relationships for lifetime value.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, online retail
sales increased by 32.4% in 2020. By the first quarter of 2021, How can retailers implement these data
that figure had risen to 39%. Analysts have claimed that COVID quality tools?
and the lockdowns pushed online shopping growth forward by They can partner with a technology provider, such as Melissa.
at least two years. As consumers have grown more comfortable Melissa provides data quality tools that retailers can use to
ordering perishable goods and necessities online, their capture accurate customer address, phone and email data
expectations have changed — same-day or one-day delivery has at the point of entry to ensure fast fulfillment and delivery of
become an overriding element of customer expectation.
products and services that exceed customer expectations.
Additionally, Melissa provides robust Know Your Customer (KYC)
What are retailers’ biggest challenges enhancements. These help retailers protect their customers from
today when trying to provide outstanding identity fraud, improve target marketing efforts, and engage
customer experiences?
in more meaningful and relevant communication with their
To meet customers’ evolving expectations for shortened customers to meet their needs in a timely fashion.
delivery times, retailers must adapt their data capture practices,
ensuring only verified addresses and other consumer contact Customers tell us what they expect: more convenience, easier
data enter their systems. Rather than expecting customers to transactions through the channel of their choice, and faster
enter their complete addresses manually — a time-consuming, delivery of goods and services. Improving data quality helps
error-prone process, especially on mobile devices — adding retailers meet and exceed customer expectations while cutting
address autocompletion and verification tools to web forms business waste, which is vital to weathering the cost-of-living
and shopping carts is a win-win for customers and retailers. The crisis sweeping the globe.
customer must only type a few characters into the form and
then is presented with a list of possible addresses, including
the one the customer wants. And when selected, the retailer is
confident that the address input into the system is complete,
verified and without any errors that will delay or prevent a
speedy delivery.