At Niemann Foods, personalization is more than a buzzword. It’s a way of doing business that is and will be critical to achieving heightened customer engagement.
Niemann Foods, operating under the County Market banner, is the first independent supermarket chain to install iBeacons in its stores to significantly enhance customer engagement. Nathaniel Jones, Electronic Marketing Manager, Niemann Foods talked to Loyalty360 about the company’s approach to customer engagement/customer loyalty.
Brands are looking to create communities of “engaged” fans via personalized experiences. What are the challenges / opportunities to effectively leveraging communities in your loyalty / CX / VOC processes?
The biggest overall challenge is overcoming technological shortfalls. A lot of it comes down to costs for businesses: Can we afford to deliver a personalized experience via web, email, app, social media, etc.? But therein lies, the biggest opportunity as well: There are so many different channels that you can reach and connect with customers. Getting audiences engaged is then up to the quality of the content you produce.
What is the biggest challenge / opportunity today for brands / marketers?
The big business buzzword is “personalization”. How can I make each experience different for every customer? That is a HUGE challenge, but the growth of technology is finally grasping at a once impossible task.
How do you see that changing over the next 18 months?
Personalization will become a sink or swim aspect for most businesses in the coming months. If you don’t adopt in some way, customers will go somewhere else that offers a better experience.
What are the challenges brands face with data, analytics, and creating insight today and how has that changed over the past 18 months?
Acquiring data isn’t a challenge anymore, you can get all the analytics and the kitchen sink with technological improvements over the past 18 months. The ever looming question is: What do you do with the data? You have to use the insights in a ROI-effective way and decide what makes senses for not only your company’s present profitability, but the future as well.
How do you define loyalty and what does it mean to your organization?
Loyalty is the driving force behind our organization’s success or failure. If you can create and sustain a loyal customer, then you’ve secured your future. Defining loyalty isn’t just about how often they buy from you or how much they spend, it’s about building a relationship with customers and crafting communities of shoppers who love your brand. From the store, through digital experiences, to social media…the relationship is 24/7 and you have to treat it as such.