There was that time when you tried to use that coupon you got in your email and it wouldn’t work. It has happened to all of us. The barcode didn’t scan and the person at the register didn’t know how to apply it. They actually didn’t even understand the offer. They kept taking your phone, reading the email, muttering under their breath, and shaking their head. That was not a good feeling.
Especially since you were only buying that shirt because of the offer. It made you think twice about shopping at that store again. Not to mention that you are a marketer who knows the importance of providing an experience that builds loyalty and keeps customers coming back.
When brands send special offers to customers, they need to use technology that makes offer management intuitive and the offer itself easy for customers to use. That means that the offers must be compatible with a variety of systems in physical locations, as well as online and in other digital environments.
The offers should both drive revenue and build relationships with customers, and if customers cannot use these offers where they usually shop – or if it becomes too difficult to redeem – then trust in the brand is eroded.
Point of sale integrations
This seems like such a simple process, but marketers need to make sure that whatever software they use to generate and send customers special offers is compatible with their point of sale system. And they should remember that not all locations have the same POS system in place, especially if franchises and other regions around the globe are part of the brand’s physical presence.
Digital integrations
It should be even easier for customers to redeem their offers online. One click takes them to an e-commerce website where they can make their purchases. When there is seamless integration, the offer code is pre-populated from the click. Otherwise, the consumer needs to enter it themselves. In both cases, the systems need to communicate with each other on the back end to make sure the offer codes are valid. Other digital integrations that marketers should consider in their planning are mobile apps and kiosks. All digital outlets are another potential opportunity to delight customers with brand offers, so they should all have the same ability to process offers.
Reporting and insights
One of the challenges of managing offers is to understand what resonates with customers. Offer redemptions need to be tracked and analyzed the same way things like emails are tracked. What offers are reviewed, clicked, applied, and completed? There will be drop off in each metric along the way, and the size of those drops help marketers learn which offers work for which customers.
Consider the reporting options available in any offer management software. Standard reports, custom reports, and dashboards are all ways that the needed data can be collected and presented. That makes it much easier to gain insights and share those insights with other team members.
The offer is what the customer sees, but whether the offer really serves its purpose of creating more revenue and better, more loyal customers is determined by how marketers manage the offers on the back end through integrations and reporting.
Looking for a partner that can help better manage your unique offers through any POS system? Our experts are always ready to chat.
