technology trends, marketing trends 2015

Tech Trends 2015 and Presumptive Marketing

It wasn’t that long ago that we were all concerned about Internet privacy. We wondered if it would be safe to share information on the Internet? Companies were developing software for the pure purpose of security and privacy. Not to say that privacy and security aren’t concerns. They certainly are; however, the customers’ mindset has changed greatly over the last decade. Now, not only do customers want to share personal information, they expect you to use it to anticipate their wants and needs.

We have talked a lot about analytics and driving customer behavior, but this is even different than just analyzing data. If customers want to give us information, we need to we can be ready to make recommendations. Welcome to the era of presumptive marketing.

Forrester’s Top Trends for 2015 are:

Trend 1: Customers Embrace Emerging Channels To Reduce Friction.
Trend 2: Companies Will Explore Proactive Engagement
Trend 3: Insights From Connected Devices Will Trigger Preemptive Service.
Trend 4: Knowledge Will Evolve From Dialog To Cognitive Engagement.
Trend 5: Predictive Analytics Will Power Offers, Decisions, And Connections.
Trend 6: The Customer Service Technology Ecosystem Will Consolidate

What is Presumptive Marketing?

Presumptive marketing is a positing message, product, and brand recommendation based around an individual’s behavior. It is anticipating when, where, and how an individual will buy. There are several things to consider when starting to formulate your presumptive marketing strategy and technology plan. As Forrestor points out from their study, customer’s want low friction. They want it to be easy. They are willing to let themselves be tracked and to disclose personal information so you can make presumptions as to what they want and when they want it. They will also share how they want it.

In the next decade, more and more customers will want information through a mobile device or tablet. The dialogue between you are your customer is an ongoing relationship. The customer is constantly changing as new technology emerges, as they change their mind, and as they move through life. To summarize, when you are developing your presumptive marketing and technology plan, you must have low friction for the customer. Your plan must include self-serve engagement and service, through mobile, social, tablet, email, online, SMS, and possibly even direct mail. It must continue to evolve as the customers evolve and change. A customer profile is ever changing—their needs and wants change as they age, move, marry, and as their circumstances change.

Beyond Presumptive Marketing

Some customers will go beyond presumptive marketing to not only take recommendations, but to be told what they want. The cognitive engagement, as Forrester points out, is much more than just a “recommended for you” section on your last email blast. It’s a combination of analytics, psychology, and self-disclosure. If your brand is able to make the compelling case as to why, you may find your company in a situation where you are telling a customer what to purchase.

Lastly, customers don’t want to login more than once to your website. They don’t want to receive messages from more than one service. They want consolidated service. If you utilize more than four software platforms for a business unit, you are not only adding unneeded steps to the customer’s engagement, but you are most certainly not cost effective. Technology efficiency and consolidation is a priority. Reviewing your processes and systems will help you understand the assets you have for engaging your customers at every level. The engagement customer-facing technology can be multifaceted. Focusing on what you know about your customers and how successful you are at engaging them will help you to focus your efforts.

DBG Loyalty is a leading innovator in loyalty and rewards marketing. DBG was founded in 2002 because the industry was looking for a trusted technology leader who could develop and establish consumer loyalty programs. DBG has customer relationships which span from the time of inception.

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Linda Butcher

Linda Butcher is the Chief Business Development Officer at DBG Loyalty, where she heads strategy and sales. Linda has extensive experience in consumer engagement through social media, marketing,
and loyalty solutions.

Contact:
lbutcher@dbgloyalty.com
469-706-3333