Consumers no longer use traditional means of communication only. The consumer today is open, networked and vociferous.
This is according to Ingrid Thomas, account executive at SAP CRM, who will speak at the ITWeb CRM 2.0 Summit on 30 August at The Forum in Bryanston. She notes that consumers expect immediate gratification as well as fast and simple interactions.
Thomas will talk about CRM trends, tools and technologies as well as the reasons why organisations can't ignore what she calls the 'social revolution'.
“The proof is in the numbers, 37% of the total European population shopped online during 2009, in comparison to 32% in 2008. Globally, this trend will continue. Last year saw an increase of over 20% in online sales. Trend forecasters in the retail insight industry expect an increase of up to 50% by 2013,” she says.
Basing on these findings, she points out that it becomes clear why organisations can not simply overlook the online community. Multi-channel shoppers spend, on average 15% to 30% more with a retailer, in comparison to a shopper who only uses one channel to source goods and services, she notes.
She also says IDC retail insights, in a report titled 'How to achieve multi-channel retailing', estimates that as consumers progress, a new type of consumer will arise - the omni-channel consumer.
“The omni-channel consumer has the ability to make or break business. Social media has real-time consequences, and with the omni-channel consumer having the ability to influence decisions of other consumers, organisations need to have an integrated approach to customer service and incorporate all business units to achieve great overall customer experience.”
If organisations don't engage with consumers on their terms, they face losing more than market share, she says.
For more information about the ITWeb CRM 2.0 summit, click here.
Share