As small businesses gear up to head into the new year, it’s important to consider how they can leverage the power of technology to create sophisticated, personalised experiences for customers. With the world becoming increasingly digital, consumers have come to expect exceptional online experiences from brands, placing a greater emphasis on the need for small businesses to step up their game or risk getting left behind.
Gartner defines digital experience platforms (DXPs) as an integrated set of core technologies that support the composition, management, delivery and optimisation of contextualised digital experiences. Through DXP, small businesses can gain deeper insights into customers to understand their wants and needs better, creating more personalised and unique experiences across every touchpoint. So as the new year fast approaches, how can small businesses innovate further through DXP?
Understand your customers
DXPs are a treasure chest of customer data and an ideal source of truth for small businesses that want to provide transformative content for a better customer experience (CX). DXPs allow small businesses to experiment with content on one platform, breaking down information silos, to see what is resonating best with customers. It also allows businesses to create more meaningful digital experiences based on existing customer data, turning one-off customers into loyal customers and ultimately driving sales and boosting revenue.
A great example of this is CASETiFY, which leverages technology to enhance experimentation and create more meaningful customer experiences. Through innovative adaptive technology, CASETiFY uses sophisticated experimentation tools that employees can use across all customer touchpoints. By using experimentation tools, brands can drive better results by using informed, data-driven insights that are simple enough to use by all team members and small businesses, regardless of the technical expertise.
Personalisation is key
In 2022, there will be a greater emphasis on personalisation than ever before. A recent Optimizely study found that almost all Australian businesses (96 per cent) stated that customer-centric personalisation is the most important aspect of great digital experiences.
The pandemic accelerated the rate at which people turned online to connect and engage with a brand. As a result, 91 per cent of business executives have taken steps over the past year to improve CX, according to a recent Optimizely report, including 84 per cent doing more experimentation than ever during the pandemic.
The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a great example of a traditional face-to-face business that moved online amid the pandemic. Enrollment week, traditionally on campus, was moved online in reaction to the pandemic. Moving enrollment week, a traditionally in-person event digital, provided UniSA with deeper insights into potential students and provided them with more personalised course information based on their desired career attributes and learning outcomes. Having a digital footprint of each student enabled the university to create personalised content online, rather than a traditional one-size-fits-all face-to-face approach.
The time is now
As 2022 is looming closer, it’s now more important than ever that small businesses ensure their technology is ready for the year ahead. With consumers demanding more personalised content and experiences, the brands that not only survive but thrive, will be the ones who create meaningful experiences for all customers across all touchpoints. By leveraging DXP technology, small businesses can have greater access to customer data, in turn, creating more personalised and tailored experiences.
