How to expand the reach of your personalization strategy

The spotlight has been on digital experiences these past few months, but digital goes beyond just web experiences. The reality is, a website is just one of the many channels used to nurture relationships and influence purchase decisions. You’re already familiar with channels like mobile apps and email, but digital experiences can extend further to include digital kiosks, IoT devices, call centers, and more.

And there are some important considerations to take note of when it comes to incorporating various channels and touchpoints into your personalization strategy. 

First is the ability to establish a 360-degree view of the customer. To maintain consistency and relevance across channels, access to vital information is required, such as:

• Real-time behavior on-site
• Online and offline conversion history
• Geography
• Product affinities
• Cross-device activity

Any piece of data acquired about a visitor should be able to flow freely throughout your marketing stack.

The second involves collaboration between Product & Engineering and Marketing teams. As brands make the switch to APIs, they are able to simplify the link between various channels and devices, which you can read more about here. And while APIs help businesses deliver experiences with a greater degree of flexibility and control, successfully making the shift and executing campaigns demands an increased and ongoing level of collaboration between Marketing and Product / Engineering teams.

The third, and final consideration has to do with identifying strategic areas of opportunity. Even as consumer expectations rise, teams must have a clear understanding of how to successfully derive business value from a specific channel before going all-in. Then, they can better balance the need to optimize existing traditional channels with those that are considered emerging. 

Remember: there’s no one path to purchase anymore. Tailoring customer experiences requires agility and the ability to present consumers with additional opportunities to engage with your brand beyond your website. To see examples of cross-channel personalization in action, check out this article.