Marketing Automation for Business to Customer (B2C)

Introduction

Most CRM vendors focus primarily on B2B companies. And retailers and malls also need their own CRM system.

A simple example: a customer card of a traditional system consists of dozens of fields and a lead base of up to ten thousand. CRM, which “for physicists” requires well from the strength of fifteen fields per contact, but the number of leads can reach hundreds of thousands.

To begin with, let’s ask ourselves the fundamental question, what exactly is the difference between B2C companies and B2B companies?

B2C companies usually:

• have orders of magnitude more customers, more market segments and much more target audiences
• get a lower average trade value
• have a higher average purchase frequency
• understand the defining role of emotions in purchasing decisions
• sell through retail stores, e-commerce and use payment terminals
• in the case of trading through a network of distributors, they may not have access to data on the sales of their products at all.

Not surprisingly, the marketing approaches of B2C companies are vastly different. Where the brunt of B2B companies is “just” selling, B2C organizations are on the offensive with loyalty tools in hand, looking to maximize transaction value and frequency of purchases, extend customer lifecycle, and need detailed insights into consumer behavior.

Functions of Self-Respecting CRM System

Next, let’s take a closer look at the functions that a self-respecting CRM system should have in its arsenal in order to proudly wear the “approved for B2C companies” nameplate.

Coupons, vouchers, contests and polls

Retailers use coupons and vouchers to increase their sales frequency. To measure the effectiveness of these campaigns, they need intuitive tracking tools. They also use contests and surveys to collect data as a tool to attract new customers.

Loyalty programs

B2C companies use loyalty programs to maximize their stake in a shopper’s wallet.

Social media marketing

Marketing automation for b2c companies use social media as one of their most important marketing channels because their customers are often very active in using them. And since such work is the foundation of building a consumer experience for such companies, the inclusion of interaction with customers via networks in CRM systems is extremely important for obtaining a holistic and objective portrait of an individual consumer.

Specifics of working with a basket of brands

Along with many brands, you often have to deal with their teams, reseller companies and the corresponding set of marketing tools. In such situations, companies should take care to obtain information only on their profile brands (or groups of brands), especially when using a third party (for example, an intermediary company). Consumer mailings and preferences should be managed in a similar way: it should be based on the brand, not the business as a whole.

Customer segmentation and campaign management

Customer-centric companies need more advanced segmentation features, counting interactions, survey results, purchase history, brand preferences, complaint propensity, and a host of other data. The use of these parameters in practice requires more advanced management and analytical functions so that clients from each market segment are provided with specially prepared information for them, taking into account their peculiarities of market perception, prohibitions, specific “chips” and “lure”.