Walgreens is after me big time. They pursue me day and night using an omni-channel array of technology and messages. They know an awful lot about me and they aren’t bashful about using it. My purchase volume or my margin must be in the top tier or they must be concerned that I might easily defect to CVS or Rite-Aid. Either way their aggressive stance documents the upside and downside of retailers using big data for relationship marketing. There’s a Walgreen’s across the street from my house. They geo fenced me. Every single time I leave the house, I get a text message inviting me into the store. I am one of the 83 million Americans with a Balance Rewards card, which yields a $5 credit for each $100 worth of purchases and countless pre-loaded discounts at the point of sale. I use the mobile app to renew my medications. They text me, call me at home and work plus they ping my mobile number with all kinds of reminders. They developed a simple, easy-to-use click-to-reply RX renewal function and they email me frequently to proactively renew my prescriptions. They offer me the option to manage my meds online and Read more…
Social CRM has become a buzzword. But don’t believe the hype. Social CRM is very early in its evolution from a big idea to a practical tool for marketers. According to Paul Greenberg, “Social CRM is a philosophy and a business strategy supported by a technology platform, business rules, workflow processes and social characteristics, designed to engage the customer in a collaborative conversation in order to provide mutually beneficial value in a trusted and transparent business environment. It’s the company’s response to the customer’s ownership of the conversation.” Everybody suspects that brands can interact meaningfully one-on-one with consumers through social networks. There is a yet-to-be-found nexus between traditional CRM and social networking that will yield more robust data profiles leading to more meaningful relationships between brands and their followers. Combining an explicit expression of interest (an email opt-in) with the more casual attention (a like) or inferred interest (a social profile), potentially identifies different consumers needing different persuasive approaches or offers. Ideally, combining social activity with demographic and behavioral data will give marketers a nuanced and segmented view of customers with which to craft more potent messages, offers and cadences. Getting a 360-degree view of customers and understanding who is Read more…