How to Know Your Consumers Better than They Know Themselves—the Future Demands It

Mobile has shifted from a single channel of communication to an entire platform specifically designed for powerful real time, customer engagement, producing an experience far beyond what we could have ever imagined. And just as the automotive industry is starting to get its feet wet in this new world of mobile interaction, there’s already talk about what’s next. So let’s dive in and discuss what’s in the future for mobile…

CNN reports that the future of mobile is about the device, with stuff like flexible screens and projected keyboards. But while devices will continue to evolve (and often delight) I think the future of mobile can be seen more in business apps like the Esurance app (allows a policy holder to submit a claim the moment it happens) or retailers like Starbucks (because who hasn’t used their app).

And it’s now innovative retailers like TrunkClub.com and the Dollar Shave Club that are introducing an even deeper element to the mobile relationship.

With just a few taps to the smartphone, these retailers make it possible to instantly order creatively crafted boxes full of customized outfits or personal goods, sent for a specific occasion or according to a personal schedule, and tailored 100 percent to that consumer’s tastes, behaviors and convenience — having never step foot in a store.

So maybe the future of stores is far less about stores and far more about leveraging mobile technology to provide each customer with a low friction, super easy, buy-stuff-the-moment-I’m-thinking-about-it experience.

A business strategy custom made for the consumer, requiring the retailer to know their customers even better than their customers may know themselves. That’s coining a whole new meaning to the term “customer service.”

So here’s how you can stop just dipping your feet in, and finally take the plunge into these mobile waters alongside these new era retailers…

With new era techniques like Direct Behavioral Targeting™ you can know your consumers better than they know themselves, feeding them real-time and relevant communications, customizing their personal messages towards their personal behavior, based on where, why, and how they spend their vehicle’s sales and service dollars.

Connect with a trustworthy vendor that has the ability to track, analyze and segment customer behavior according to the customer’s sales and service loyalty (loyalist, swing loyalist, disloyalist) at your store.

Segmenting by loyalty allows you to communicate with the customer in the way their behavior demands. For example, a loyalist customer is going to come in to your store for an oil change no matter what, so you do not need to communicate using an incentive (coupons, special offers etc.); leave that for a less loyal customer.

Communicating using the right language, the right offers and the right selling points will allow you to get customers from every segment to come in to your store — maximizing their spend and minimizing your cost, ultimately attaining total customer retention for your store.

And all this communication…it’s going to be communicated primarily through your consumer’s mobile device. Make sure you have a complete mobile strategy in place, that includes a mobile app, mobile web, and email abilities (and as far as email, responsive email design is the only way to go).

Combining techniques like Direct Behavioral Targeting™ with a complete mobile strategy is going to be what launches your store into the future of business — where it’s all about giving your consumer the ultimate “customer service” experience.

Mike Martinez is chief marketing officer of DMEautomotive, the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing that provides a range of marketing services to the biggest and most innovative automotive organizations in the industry. For more information, email dme@dealermark.com.