Commentary

Single-Channel Challenge: Most SMBs Provide Limited Customer Experience

Small firms are blowing it big time when it comes to the customer experience. 

Consumers demand a consistent experience across all touchpoints. But only 4% of SMB brands have a single customer view, according to Consumers’ Expectations For Customer Engagement, a study by Maropost.

This isn’t the consumers talking — it’s the brands themselves. Of the companies surveyed, 60% rely on single-channel strategies — they’re acting like they did 18 years ago, when consumers relied on an average of two touchpoints when buying an item. Only 37% can deliver an omnichannel experience. 

Poor and nonexistent omnichannel strategies can lead to a 10% revenue decrease, Maropost claims. 

In a word, SMB brands have to move beyond email, the study notes.

One thing the respondents agree on is that consumer expectations are rising — 95% say so. And most feel that the ability to capture all customer signals across multiple touchpoints is their most valuable engagement undertaking.

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But lack of knowledge is getting in the way — it’s the top cause of their malaise. Blame it on poor training.

Another problem is the time for implementation — 79% say it takes three months or longer to put in systems. And the longer it takes, the less satisfied they are. 

Of those polled, 82% use more than one platform for email marketing, customer engagement and commerce/storefront. Yet a mere 20% view their customer engagement providers as a strategic partners.

“Being able to effectively reach customers across all channels is key to increasing attention, stickiness, loyalty and conversion,” states Ross Andrew Paquette, Maropost founder and CEO.

Paquette adds: “This research reveals that most marketers deal with complicated platforms that slow them down, impede their growth and are difficult to use.” 

Maropost, a cloud-based B2C marketing platform, commissioned research firm B2B International to interview 300+ marketing decision-makers at consumer-facing companies with 25-999 employees. The industries covered include retail, publishing, ecommerce, and hospitality.

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