How To Set Triggered Messages for Better Engagement

Blueshift

| April 1, 2020

How To Set Triggered Messages for Better Engagement

Time and time again, consumers have proven that they love (and will spend more for) agile experiences. Businesses who win over the most customers and keep them purchasing over and over are often the ones who react to consumers’ demands, wants, and needs with triggered messaging and instant experiences.

The need for speed is made even more apparent when we consider that we’re all living in the era of instant gratification. Consumer favorites like Netflix and Amazon have continually reduced barriers and lowered time-to-enjoyment: movies which once required a trip to a local store can be accessed in seconds and hard to find goods which might’ve taken weeks to locate now arrive at your door in two days or fewer. But, the obvious barrier for most marketers is that not all of us have Amazon level budgets and Netflix sized teams — so, how does the average marketer deliver on these expectations?

DO I HAVE THE RIGHT TECH TO BE SUCCESSFUL?

First, there should be a broader conversation about your tech stack. You could have the best possible solution for each area of your martech stack. With over 7,000 martech platforms on offer, chances are there are plenty of gems to be found. But, they’re deemed virtually ineffective if these platforms can’t properly stack together.

Cheesy puns aside, quite a few businesses have fundamentally flawed tech stacks. How do we know this? 61% of marketers have reported that their current tech stacks aren’t able to make full use of their existing customer data. That’s a huge problem too, considering that consumer data is now being touted as more valuable than oil (making it the most valuable resource on earth). At Blueshift, we have a ton of resources to enable marketers to make the most of your data, including our Data Activation Guide, How to Dismantle Data Silos, and much more. If you suspect your tech might be getting in the way of your goals, also check out our quiz, What Kind of Marketer Are You?

But, you might have the most pristine, well-oiled, and inter-connected martech stack the world has ever seen — woohoo! With an accurate and accessible record of your customers in-hand, you’re now able to give your customers what they want: triggered messages.

The task can seem daunting, yes, but with a holistic understanding of your customers that can be rationalized against your catalog data, it’s much easier than you might think to set up autonomous, triggered campaigns.

HOW CAN MY CATALOG DO THE HEAVY LIFTING?

Once your catalog is connected through a platform, like Blueshift’s Customer Data Activation Platform (CDAP), your catalog can be a fantastic source of triggered messaging inspiration. The routine changes you make to your catalog can be routed into the Blueshift platform to trigger messages to customers that drive engagement. With many traditional systems, connecting catalog data to customer profiles and journey builders can be difficult and doing so in real-time can be impossible.

This level of personalization and automation not only requires the right tech, but also key buy-in from leadership and optimal team structure and alignment to get programs like these up and running.

But, once those conditions are met, it becomes a breeze to deliver triggered messaging that, in turn, delivers results. Here are just a few examples of triggered messages on both email and push that have sparked growth for Blueshift customers.

1. PRICE ADJUSTMENT OR PRICE DROP ALERTS

Anytime a given product in your catalog drops in price or is adjusted in price to reflect a larger sale, customers can automatically be given a heads up. For our users, we recommend that these notifications or emails automatically be sent out within 7 days of the price change, to ensure there’s still stock.

Not every one of your customers will find this information valuable though, so be sure to only target customers who have viewed this item, abandoned it in their cart, or have purchased/shown affinity for similar items using our Predictive Intelligence models.

2. CUSTOM ALERTS FOR HOT ITEMS BACK IN STOCK

We’ve all been in the same annoying situation when online shopping. You find exactly what you were looking for but, alas, it’s out of stock or your size isn’t available. Set up alerts for items/ variations that have been viewed in the last 7 days when they come back in stock, not just those customers who are on the waiting list.

In addition, create alerts for your most viewed, purchased, or frequently sold-out items for all high-intent customers. This can be done by routing product availability data into your marketing platform, or dates of availability for certain items.

3. HELPFUL SUBSCRIPTION REMINDERS TO PROMOTE RENEWALS

By ingesting transactional and demographic data into Blueshift, it’s easy to create an anniversary reminder leading up to the big day. This could include an exclusive birthday offer, or serve as a gentle reminder that their subscription is soon up for renewal.

To make your renewal reminder more compelling, include recommended content or special offers based on past behaviors, past purchases to your most valuable customers.

4. PROMOTE CX EFFORTS WITH TRIGGERED MESSAGING

Align customer service and experience departments with marketing by doubling down on how your customers feel about their experiences. After a customer makes a purchase, send automated reminder emails or push notifications to fill out feedback surveys.

If the feedback returns issues, a flag can be sent to service software, or if it’s overwhelmingly positive — give customers the option to leave a public review.

We’ve just scratched the surface of the many possibilities of triggered messaging — the options are truly endless. If you’d like to see firsthand how Blueshift enables autonomous, triggered messages, reach out and demo with our team.