The way customers engage with brands has changed. That brand-customer engagements have traversed to digital, is not news. The adoption of digital has skyrocketed, and can be attributed to easy access to the internet.
As of 2022, there are currently over 5.41 billion internet users across the globe. In the world of branding, the expectations of these users have rapidly evolved and have even become more refined. Matching up to these expectations, brands were quick to adapt digital strategies into the marketing mix.
Job done. The problem is resolved, right? Not really.
While some businesses have successfully accomplished this, others still faced shortcomings, which were later attributed to poorly planned user journeys and marketing funnels. In the rush to digital, businesses made haste, which reflected in the online user experiences they provided to their customers.
The solution is obvious, yet simple. Create robust, well-thought out user journeys that in return, result in captivating digital-first experiences. But how?
Let us start with the basics.
Digital-first brand experiences do not simply imply increasing digital investments or presence. It means thinking and acting with a ‘digital-first’ mindset. This means, businesses need to anticipate every point of contact that their target audiences would encounter online, from discovery to making an actual purchase.
Let us take a look at this scenario.
John has discovered an insurance provider. He navigates to the website on his mobile phone. The website is lack-luster. It does not clearly communicate details of its services; the value each of its services provides, and the customer support seldom helps.
He is immediately disinterested and continues his search for another insurance provider. This is what happens when businesses have an online presence, for the sake of having one.
Let us now see what happens when a business has a well-thought out digital-first experience.
John has discovered an insurance provider. He navigates to the website on his mobile phone. The website captivates his interest immediately. Moreover, it has seamless and quick online customer support on the website.
The business also offers personalized, more direct support for customers via WhatsApp. With this, John can directly connect with a representative to clear queries he may have about different insurance covers on offer.
He feels secure with the business and decides to purchase the insurance policy through the app. The presentation of the app on the app store is good as well. The in-app experience is smooth, easy to use, and secure. The push notifications are timely, guiding, purpose-driven, and non-intrusive.
Further, after purchasing the cover, he also receives emails that contain detailed information about the policy, the circumstances under which it can be used, and more. John is pleased with his experience with the insurance company and he recommends it to his friends.
This is an excellent example of what a good digital-first brand experience looks like and the impact that it has.
Business leaders across the globe have found that valuable digital experiences are a driving force of brand trust and long-term loyalty.2
With the switch to digital, consumers are now more in control of their experiences than ever. The choice of brands is at their fingertips. In order to stay ahead of the competitor and retain valuable customers, it has now become increasingly crucial for businesses to appeal to their target audiences with exceedingly valuable digital-first experiences throughout the sales funnel.
Converting a strong brand image to loyalty takes time and effort. Creating long lifetime value (LTV) is an investment. Businesses should invest heavily in creating valuable experiences for customers from the discovery stage to the post-purchase support stage. This means having seamless digital experiences that cater to the customer’s curiosity and needs.
However, simply creating digital products and experiences without thoroughly planning user journeys of your target audiences is insufficient. In a saturated online space, smart businesses are compelled to find innovative ways of engaging and retaining customers with captivating online experiences across strategic touchpoints.
Arham Labs, a digital experience company, has been charting out data-driven, user journeys to visually appealing designs that translate to highly functional experiences, Arham Labs has helped brands across industries to reach their full potential with unique, cross-platform digital experiences.
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