What digital marketers need to know about the future of CX

By Sandra McDiarmid, Customer Experience Director at VML South Africa

For digital marketers, exceptional customer experience (CX) is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. In today’s hyper-connected world, consumers want seamless, personalised interactions across every touchpoint that’s relevant to them. This article explores the key CX trends shaping the digital landscape and offers insights into how marketers, particularly in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, can leverage them to build stronger, more connected brands.

Is personalisation still king?

Personalisation has been a buzzword in marketing for years. However, today’s connected consumer wants more than just their name in an email. Consumers reward brands that understand their individual needs, preferences and past interactions.

This is where hyper-personalisation comes into play. It leverages data and AI to deliver truly tailored experiences, from product recommendations to targeted content and offers. Hyper-personalisation involves understanding a customer’s purchase history, browsing behaviour and even their real-time location to deliver relevant and timely experiences. For example, a coffee brand could send personalised offers for a specific blend based on a customer’s previous purchases and preferred brewing method. If they frequently buy decaf coffee, a hyper-personalised experience might offer a discount on their next decaf purchase or suggest a new decaf blend based on their past preferences.

By investing in data analytics platforms and AI-powered personalisation tools, marketers can create a level of personalisation that will significantly enhance customer satisfaction and drive conversions.

Content experiences that resonate

Content remains a cornerstone of effective digital marketing. However, its role in CX has evolved. It’s no longer enough to create informative content. Marketers must craft engaging, interactive experiences that resonate with their target audience. This means understanding the customer journey and creating content that addresses the customer’s needs at each stage. Moreover, optimising content for SEO is crucial for ensuring it reaches the right audience at the right time.

Consider incorporating interactive elements like quizzes, polls and personalised videos to encourage engagement. For example, a brand selling healthy snacks could create a quiz on their website that helps customers identify the perfect snack based on their dietary needs and taste preferences. Furthermore, leveraging user-generated content can build a sense of community and foster stronger connections with customers. In this example, our healthy snack brand could tap into user-generated recipes that use their products. By aligning content strategy with CX goals, marketers can create meaningful interactions that drive customer loyalty and advocacy.

Rise of the connected consumer

The connected consumer is always on, constantly switching between devices and platforms. They expect seamless experiences across all channels, whether they’re browsing a website on their desktop, interacting with a brand on social media or making a purchase in-store. This requires marketers to adopt an omnichannel approach to CX, ensuring consistency and personalisation across every touchpoint.

This omnichannel strategy necessitates integrating various marketing channels, including email, social media, mobile apps and in-store experiences. For a personal care company, this could mean offering personalised recommendations through their mobile app based on a customer’s purchase history from their online store and then providing a coupon redeemable at a physical retail location. Data plays a crucial role in connecting these channels and creating a unified view of the customer. By understanding how customers interact with their brand across different platforms, marketers can deliver personalised and consistent experiences that build stronger relationships.

Fostering loyalty through connected brands

In a world of endless choice, building brand loyalty is more challenging than ever. Connected brands understand the importance of fostering genuine connections with their customers. They prioritise transparency, authenticity and two-way communication. They leverage social media and other digital platforms to build communities and engage with their audience in meaningful ways.

Connected brands go beyond transactional interactions. They strive to build relationships based on trust and shared values. For example, a beverage company could launch a campaign highlighting their sustainable sourcing practices and ethical production methods, resonating with environmentally conscious consumers. This involves actively listening to customers’ feedback, responding to their concerns and demonstrating a genuine commitment to their needs. By creating a sense of belonging and fostering a strong brand community, marketers can cultivate loyal customers who become brand advocates.

SEO for people, not just algorithms

SEO remains a critical component of any digital marketing strategy. However, its focus has shifted from simply optimising for search engines to optimising for the entire customer experience. This means considering factors like website speed, mobile-friendliness and user experience when developing SEO strategies.

Voice search has significantly impacted search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies. Websites now need to optimise for conversational queries and long-tail keywords to rank well in voice search results. This brings with it an increased focus on natural language and providing concise, relevant answers to common questions. Earning featured snippets from Google is a great exchange for taking the time and effort to create rich and relevant content on your website. A featured snippet increases your visibility and authority almost for free.

Marketers must understand that SEO is no longer just about keywords and backlinks. It’s about creating a seamless and enjoyable experience for users. For a food company, this could mean optimising their website with recipe and nutritional information that’s easily searchable and accessible on mobile devices. Focus on responsive website navigation, ensure content is easily accessible and provide clear calls to action. By prioritising the user experience, marketers can improve their SEO rankings and drive more qualified traffic to their website.

Embracing the future of CX

The digital landscape is constantly evolving and the future of CX promises to be even more dynamic and exciting. By embracing these key trends – hyper-personalisation, content that resonates, omnichannel engagement, building connected brands and experience-driven SEO – marketers can create truly exceptional customer experiences.

This isn’t just about keeping up with the competition; it’s about building deeper relationships with customers, fostering loyalty and driving sustainable growth. Those brands that prioritise CX will be the ones that thrive in the years to come. Investing in the right technologies, strategies and talent today will pave the way for a future where brands and consumers are seamlessly connected, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem of engagement and value.

The future of CX is bright, and the opportunities for brands to connect with their customers on a deeper level are limitless. Embrace the change and watch your brand flourish.