Did you know that fifty-three percent of Indian consumers<\/a> still shop in-store, daily or weekly? <\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/salesforce-blog\/dist\/images\/offer-block\/offer-illustration-layout-two.png\")
\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/salesforce-blog\/dist\/images\/offer-block\/offer-accent-layout-two.png\")
\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/salesforce-blog\/dist\/images\/offer-block\/offer-cloud-layout-two.png\")
\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\nRetailers thus need to find a way to make the consumer experience across online and offline channels both convenient and enjoyable. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Deliver connected phygital experiences <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhether customers are shopping in-store or online, they expect a connected experience across touchpoints. They also want the freedom to start their purchase journey at one point and complete it at another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge for companies is that their customer data is often spread across departments and systems that don\u2019t talk to each other. These data silos create a fragmented view of the customer, making it difficult for teams to deliver the connected experiences that customers want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what if you could unify customer data from across sources – online and offline – into a single, shared 360-degree customer view? Then, no matter where or how customers interact with you, you have all the data needed to offer them a smooth phygital experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salesforce Commerce Cloud<\/a> can help by providing a platform that combines backend data (such as inventory, pricing etc) and front-end data (customer information, loyalty programs etc) from various departments and delivering a personalised online shopping experience. Teams thus have a single, unified view of customer interactions, orders, and inventory. So, they can seamlessly pick up the conversation with the customer from where it was last left off.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSuppose a customer on your web store adds a few items to their cart and leaves without buying. This data is captured in a single source of truth and made available across teams. So, if the same customer visits one of your physical stores a week later, the sales rep can instantly pull up their data and view the unbought items in the customer\u2019s online cart. The rep can then point the customer to those same products in-store, or recommend similar products they might like. This makes the whole customer journey from online to offline both frictionless and personalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Update outreach with changing trends on preferred platforms <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nCustomers today interact with brands on multiple channels. This creates new opportunities for retailers because customers expect to be engaged differently \u2013 at different times, in different formats \u2013 on each of these channels. How customers interact through these channels also changes rapidly, driven in part by ever-evolving algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To know which channels to focus on, continuously test and measure the impact of your campaigns \u2013 not just to see which channels perform the best, but also to optimise the marketing messaging and formats, and timing. Suppose you are a clothing brand. You may find that when you host live styling sessions with popular influencers on your app every week, customer engagement increases. Similarly, when you display your latest collections and offers through Instagram stories, it gets you a lot of redirected website traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding which marketing channels work best for your business can help you dedicate your resources to the right places and maximise returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Leverage everything you know about the customer to hyper-personalise their experience <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nPersonalisation is no more just about getting the customer\u2019s name right in your emails or on service calls. Customers expect personalisation at every step of their journey. They also want their purchase history to inform product recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For retailers, it\u2019s no longer about having the widest range of products, but about having the right products based on what the customer wants. The retail experience should make it easier for customers to find what they\u2019re looking for – be it through a \u2018people also viewed\u2019 tab or a \u2018customers who like this also liked this\u2019 page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use AI<\/a> to deliver highly tailored product recommendations based on shopper behaviour. With predictive sorting, you can connect customers faster to the products they seek. AI can also help you improve searches by automatically adding popular search terms to your dictionary, and recommending appropriate synonyms to display relevant results every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith AI-based APIs, you can deliver the same level of personalisation across all possible touchpoints. Personalisation can simplify shoppers\u2019 decisions, and compel them to shop more with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Make in-store shopping more fun <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nAs consumer behaviours continue to evolve, retailers need to rethink how their physical stores can add value to the overall customer experience. Many are already adopting creative store concepts like experiential shopping by transforming their physical stores to offer additional experiences beyond simply browsing or buying products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\nRetailers thus need to find a way to make the consumer experience across online and offline channels both convenient and enjoyable. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Deliver connected phygital experiences <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhether customers are shopping in-store or online, they expect a connected experience across touchpoints. They also want the freedom to start their purchase journey at one point and complete it at another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge for companies is that their customer data is often spread across departments and systems that don\u2019t talk to each other. These data silos create a fragmented view of the customer, making it difficult for teams to deliver the connected experiences that customers want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what if you could unify customer data from across sources – online and offline – into a single, shared 360-degree customer view? Then, no matter where or how customers interact with you, you have all the data needed to offer them a smooth phygital experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salesforce Commerce Cloud<\/a> can help by providing a platform that combines backend data (such as inventory, pricing etc) and front-end data (customer information, loyalty programs etc) from various departments and delivering a personalised online shopping experience. Teams thus have a single, unified view of customer interactions, orders, and inventory. So, they can seamlessly pick up the conversation with the customer from where it was last left off.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSuppose a customer on your web store adds a few items to their cart and leaves without buying. This data is captured in a single source of truth and made available across teams. So, if the same customer visits one of your physical stores a week later, the sales rep can instantly pull up their data and view the unbought items in the customer\u2019s online cart. The rep can then point the customer to those same products in-store, or recommend similar products they might like. This makes the whole customer journey from online to offline both frictionless and personalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Update outreach with changing trends on preferred platforms <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nCustomers today interact with brands on multiple channels. This creates new opportunities for retailers because customers expect to be engaged differently \u2013 at different times, in different formats \u2013 on each of these channels. How customers interact through these channels also changes rapidly, driven in part by ever-evolving algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To know which channels to focus on, continuously test and measure the impact of your campaigns \u2013 not just to see which channels perform the best, but also to optimise the marketing messaging and formats, and timing. Suppose you are a clothing brand. You may find that when you host live styling sessions with popular influencers on your app every week, customer engagement increases. Similarly, when you display your latest collections and offers through Instagram stories, it gets you a lot of redirected website traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding which marketing channels work best for your business can help you dedicate your resources to the right places and maximise returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Leverage everything you know about the customer to hyper-personalise their experience <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nPersonalisation is no more just about getting the customer\u2019s name right in your emails or on service calls. Customers expect personalisation at every step of their journey. They also want their purchase history to inform product recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For retailers, it\u2019s no longer about having the widest range of products, but about having the right products based on what the customer wants. The retail experience should make it easier for customers to find what they\u2019re looking for – be it through a \u2018people also viewed\u2019 tab or a \u2018customers who like this also liked this\u2019 page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use AI<\/a> to deliver highly tailored product recommendations based on shopper behaviour. With predictive sorting, you can connect customers faster to the products they seek. AI can also help you improve searches by automatically adding popular search terms to your dictionary, and recommending appropriate synonyms to display relevant results every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith AI-based APIs, you can deliver the same level of personalisation across all possible touchpoints. Personalisation can simplify shoppers\u2019 decisions, and compel them to shop more with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Make in-store shopping more fun <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nAs consumer behaviours continue to evolve, retailers need to rethink how their physical stores can add value to the overall customer experience. Many are already adopting creative store concepts like experiential shopping by transforming their physical stores to offer additional experiences beyond simply browsing or buying products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suppose a customer on your web store adds a few items to their cart and leaves without buying. This data is captured in a single source of truth and made available across teams. So, if the same customer visits one of your physical stores a week later, the sales rep can instantly pull up their data and view the unbought items in the customer\u2019s online cart. The rep can then point the customer to those same products in-store, or recommend similar products they might like. This makes the whole customer journey from online to offline both frictionless and personalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Update outreach with changing trends on preferred platforms <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nCustomers today interact with brands on multiple channels. This creates new opportunities for retailers because customers expect to be engaged differently \u2013 at different times, in different formats \u2013 on each of these channels. How customers interact through these channels also changes rapidly, driven in part by ever-evolving algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To know which channels to focus on, continuously test and measure the impact of your campaigns \u2013 not just to see which channels perform the best, but also to optimise the marketing messaging and formats, and timing. Suppose you are a clothing brand. You may find that when you host live styling sessions with popular influencers on your app every week, customer engagement increases. Similarly, when you display your latest collections and offers through Instagram stories, it gets you a lot of redirected website traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding which marketing channels work best for your business can help you dedicate your resources to the right places and maximise returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Leverage everything you know about the customer to hyper-personalise their experience <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nPersonalisation is no more just about getting the customer\u2019s name right in your emails or on service calls. Customers expect personalisation at every step of their journey. They also want their purchase history to inform product recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For retailers, it\u2019s no longer about having the widest range of products, but about having the right products based on what the customer wants. The retail experience should make it easier for customers to find what they\u2019re looking for – be it through a \u2018people also viewed\u2019 tab or a \u2018customers who like this also liked this\u2019 page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use AI<\/a> to deliver highly tailored product recommendations based on shopper behaviour. With predictive sorting, you can connect customers faster to the products they seek. AI can also help you improve searches by automatically adding popular search terms to your dictionary, and recommending appropriate synonyms to display relevant results every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWith AI-based APIs, you can deliver the same level of personalisation across all possible touchpoints. Personalisation can simplify shoppers\u2019 decisions, and compel them to shop more with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Make in-store shopping more fun <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nAs consumer behaviours continue to evolve, retailers need to rethink how their physical stores can add value to the overall customer experience. Many are already adopting creative store concepts like experiential shopping by transforming their physical stores to offer additional experiences beyond simply browsing or buying products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personalisation is no more just about getting the customer\u2019s name right in your emails or on service calls. Customers expect personalisation at every step of their journey. They also want their purchase history to inform product recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For retailers, it\u2019s no longer about having the widest range of products, but about having the right products based on what the customer wants. The retail experience should make it easier for customers to find what they\u2019re looking for – be it through a \u2018people also viewed\u2019 tab or a \u2018customers who like this also liked this\u2019 page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can use AI<\/a> to deliver highly tailored product recommendations based on shopper behaviour. With predictive sorting, you can connect customers faster to the products they seek. AI can also help you improve searches by automatically adding popular search terms to your dictionary, and recommending appropriate synonyms to display relevant results every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With AI-based APIs, you can deliver the same level of personalisation across all possible touchpoints. Personalisation can simplify shoppers\u2019 decisions, and compel them to shop more with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As consumer behaviours continue to evolve, retailers need to rethink how their physical stores can add value to the overall customer experience. Many are already adopting creative store concepts like experiential shopping by transforming their physical stores to offer additional experiences beyond simply browsing or buying products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Make in-store shopping more fun <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n