The fourth industrial revolution is here, and we have started seeing its impacts across all industries. New digital channels are shaking up the retail environment and displacing the old structures and processes in retail. Currently, external information (i.e. demographics, social media activity) of customers and the tools available to acquire them leave a lot to be desired for retailers.

The Challenges with Marketing Associates

Marketing associates focus on adding value to your customers. They take away all segmentation troubles, help you know your customers, progressively update customer information, run marketing communications, and track key customer metrics. They make sure that customers and touchpoints are never forgotten. Therefore, the challenges are very clear: there are too many tasks for a single person to undertake and requires a marketing team to get them done. For retailers, this is an expensive proposition.

The World’s Finest Marketing Associate

Let’s use an example of a single customer journey, conceptualizing what the finest marketing associate in the world could do for them. After a customer enters into your retail location, the marketing associate would brief you about the customer: when, where and how long your last interaction was, along with their interests and preferences. Your customers will love the fact that you remembered all the minute details from the last interaction and are pleasantly surprised with the personalization. In short, you will have made them feel special.

After the purchase, your marketing associate prompts the customer to share their experience and overall satisfaction with your products. When possible, your marketing associate automates various touch points for you through digital and social channels to uncover insights about what your customers would like or respond to. Every morning and at the end of the day, your marketing associate shares reports on newly acquired customers acquired as well as customers who have returned and have been re-activated.

Over the next few months, your marketing associate keeps your customers informed about upcoming events and promotions at your retail location. They’ll also proactively wish your customers the best on special occasions such as birthdays and share educational content tailored to them.

Now, I want you to reread the above three paragraphs and replace the word “marketing associate” with the word “Aislelabs.” This is what we are doing at Aislelabs with WiFi marketing. We allow retailers to create deep, lasting relationships and connections with their customers who will return again and again.