The Connected Consumers Are Here! Engagement Tips From The NFC Forum’s Bridging Digital and Physical Retail with NFC White Paper

The era of the “connected consumer” is here – and it’s not just millennials. People of all ages and backgrounds are turning to the Internet to interact with digital content, services, experiences and brands. They’re going online for entertainment, education, knowledge, social sharing and commerce.

And they’re staying connected – wherever they go and whatever they do. That includes shopping. Today, 90% of smartphone owners use their phones while in-store. Below are six tips brands and retailers should keep in mind when working to attract and develop relationships with these connected consumers. You’ll find more tips, content and solutions in the NFC Forum’s recently released white paper titled: Bridging Digital and Physical Retail with NFC. Free to download.

• Omnichannel retailing can pay major dividends

Try to provide a seamless, integrated experience for the consumer across all channels and deliver the appropriate messages at each engagement based on the context. That means finding new ways to build bridges between the physical and virtual worlds. The payoff? Omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel.

• It’s never too early to connect with consumers

Before consumers even set foot in a store, they have already done their research, read online reviews and checked prices. For example, two out of three millennials attribute brand loyalty to online content. NFC helps brands find ways to break through the noise, capture attention and build a positive perception of the brand.

Download Bridging Digital and Physical Retail with NFC White Paper For More Solutions
 

• Online resources can enhance the in-store shopping experience

Make consumers’ online activity on mobile devices in-store an opportunity to build a relationship, strengthen your brand and drive sales by delivering on-demand product information, demonstrating benefits, and providing exclusive offers.

• The easier consumers can engage with your content, the better

Make the process of accessing content easy and convenient in order to leverage investments in content creation, influencer activity and digital advertising.

• It pays to maintain the relationship beyond the sale

The purchase transaction is just the beginning of the consumer experience. Forge brand loyalty, build incremental sales and capture consumer data for analytics by maintaining an ongoing connection post-purchase with NFC. Again, NFC’s ubiquity and ease-of-use make it a valuable customer communications technology to enhance engagement beyond the sale.

Download Bridging Digital and Physical Retail with NFC White Paper For More Solutions

• Broader use of analytics can deepen your understanding of customer behavior

The more you know about your customers, at the point of purchase and usage, the better you can meet their expectations, fulfill their needs, deliver a satisfying, personalized customer experience, extend the customer relationship and strengthen brand loyalty – by creating targeted content based on accurate behavioral metrics.

The next-generation retail and brand experience is built on satisfying consumer needs in a seamless fashion across the consumer journey – from pre-purchase to post-purchase. For a visual depiction of the consumer journey, check out our Next Generation Retail and Brand Experience infographic. For an in-depth analysis and discussion of the connected consumer and their customer journey, please read the Bridging Digital and Physical Retail with NFC White Paper.