2023 has seen clienteling undergo a dramatic transformation, with dynamic shopping
behaviors prompting a shift in the approach to crafting an effective clienteling strategy.
Clienteling has transcended its traditional characteristics of in-person, one-on-one
interactions. Instead, it now encompasses multiple forms, including directed and self-
directed clienteling, in-store engagements, virtual interactions, and more. The past couple of
months has seen consumers inundated with festive shopping. As brands and sales teams
cast their eyes on 2024, it is necessary to acknowledge how the retail journey will continue
to evolve.
Sales teams hoping to excel in 2024 and beyond need to understand the formula of a
successful clienteling strategy, which essentially hinges on four crucial elements:
● Developing and maintaining a deep understanding of your clients.
● Cultivating meaningful relationships.
● Tailoring experiences to individual preferences.
● Engaging in collaborative team efforts to sustain client involvement.
The landscape of clienteling in retail has undergone a significant transformation over the
past decade. Brands have honed their understanding of customer data and harnessed
innovative tools to deliver heightened personalization, both in physical stores and the online
realm.
Clienteling Basics: Understanding the Individual
To lay the groundwork for a successful clienteling strategy that enhances client engagement
through personalization, it is critical to gain a comprehensive understanding of your client -
both in a broader sense and on an individual level.
For brands, achieving a wider understanding of their client base is imperative. This can be
accomplished through the utilization of client data. In navigating clienteling in the digital era,
the effective collection and analysis of client data becomes essential. For businesses
beyond the scope of small, local establishments where personal familiarity with each client is
more feasible, identifying a target audience and getting to know their needs becomes pivotal.
This insight can be derived directly from the data or through a combination of business
insights and market research. Subsequently, the creation of client profiles becomes a
guiding framework for strategy development.
Client profiles serve to categorize consumers into segments based on their data points. This
segmentation proves valuable in comprehending the preferences, needs, and behaviors of
clients within a specific segment. It serves as a blueprint for customization, enabling the
effective personalization of experiences based on the distinct segments each client belongs
to.
Building Relationships
The significance of relationships has reached new heights. In a era where clients
increasingly demand personalized experiences and actively favor brands that deliver them,
clienteling emerges as a vital strategy. It serves as a means to provide relatable,
personalized interactions to clients on a mass scale.
The deeper your understanding of your clients is —derived from data, segmentation, and
conversation —the more adeptly you can establish empathetic connections that provide
insight into their circumstances and personalized recommendations. Such relationships
empower the creation of loyal clients who feel a profound connection to your brand. This, of
course, hinges on client data. To implement personalization on a large scale, possessing
data is imperative to discern the wants and desires of each clients.
In today’s landscape, personalization holds unprecedented significance in areas such as
client satisfaction, loyalty, lifetime value, and the likelihood of making a purchase. 86% of
consumers are inclined to spend more with companies that tailor their experiences, whilst a
notable 59% of consumers prioritize personalization over speed when it comes to customer
service.
New Year, New Opportunities
With the New Year comes new beginnings, resolutions and importantly, January sales.
Following a busy, not to mention costly December, consumers typically enter the January
sales period on the lookout for great deals that won’t break the bank. Often a hectic time for
shoppers, sales teams must prepare – ready to overcome the challenges of busy shop
floors, and leverage interest to generate long-term success and growth.
During busy periods, this can often be a big ask for sales teams, who must keep track of
inventory while serving clients in a timely and personalized manner to deliver high-quality
experiences. Technology can play a prominent role in meeting these demands. With the
right clienteling solutions in place, retailers can optimize sales and provides a great shopping
experience for clients, benefiting from both short and long-term results.
Black Friday achieved a staggering $9.8 billion in online sales in the U.S., signaling a robust
willingness among shoppers to spend. Unexpectedly, overall retail sales in November
experienced a boost, attributed in part to lower gas prices, allowing consumers more
flexibility in their spending, as reported by Bloomberg. This surge in sales has uplifted
retailers’ spirits, validating their substantial efforts to capitalize on the peak shopping season
and giving them more scope to invest in effective clienteling.
While the physical presence of brands remains crucial, there’s a notable shift towards online
sales channels, driven by the need for convenience. To attract in-store customers, retailers
must offer unique experiences not easily replicated, or present their clients with enticing and
personalized offers. Retailers leveraging real-time client data to personalize promotions
based on individual needs can distinguish themselves in a competitive landscape. Despite
the challenges faced by the retail industry this year, several brands are approaching 2024
with optimism, unveiling growth plans.
According to a report from 360iResearch, the global market for clienteling software is poised
to witness a notable growth rate of 23.67% by the year 2030. This surge in investment
underscores retailers commitment to hyper-personalization, driven by one unequivocal
reason: its effectiveness.
Now, with the advent of groundbreaking technologies like generative AI and unprecedented
intensification in retail competition, the trajectory of clienteling is at a pivotal juncture.
Anticipating the future, it’s important to examine the emerging trends in clienteling expected
to shape the landscape in 2024 and beyond:
● Blended Approach: The blend of physical and digital experiences is transforming the
retail landscape. This integration seeks to deliver the tangible satisfaction of in-store
shopping while leveraging the convenience and abundant information found in the
online domain. Digital shopping carts, interactive digital displays, in-store augmented
reality sections, personalized coupons delivered to mobile devices during shopping,
can all be expected to feature in the near future. These tools are poised to empower
clients to shop with enhanced convenience, access to comprehensive information,
and levels of personalization akin to sophisticated clienteling approaches.
● AI: AI is making significant strides in retail, particularly in enhancing client experience
and personalizing shopping journeys. Chatbots, for instance, are becoming
increasingly sophisticated, capable of handling a wide range of inquiries, thus freeing
up human resources for more nuanced client interactions – such as delivering
elevated clienteling services to your top shoppers. Moreover, predictive analytics and
AI-powered recommendation engines are being used to better anticipate client
preferences and provide personalized suggestions, a step towards hyper-
personalized clienteling. AI facilitates better demand forecasting which is crucial for
inventory management, thereby reducing carrying costs and out-of-stock scenarios,
ensuring that customers find what they need when they need it. Letting AI run the
inventory process can free up more human time to do what we do best: provide
clienteling service to other humans.
● Technological Advances: Automation is fostering operational efficiencies across the
retail landscape, spanning from warehouse operations to the showroom. These
technological strides not only streamline warehouse processes and inventory
management but also accelerate order fulfillment and facilitate the adoption of
contactless payment methods.
● Hyperpersonalization: The era of generic promotions and broad-scale marketing is
making way for a new era of hyper-personalized retail clienteling. Leveraging
advanced clienteling platforms such as BSPK, which applies comprehensive data
analytics, retailers can now precisely segment and target clients, achieving
unparalleled accuracy. Sales teams can offer personalized recommendations and
promotions tailored to individual client preferences and purchase history. This
elevated level of personalization not only heightens client satisfaction but also
nurtures brand loyalty and promotes repeat purchases. Importantly, advancements in
personalization technology have democratized access, allowing smaller retailers and
businesses to reap the rewards of intelligent customer targeting.
● Gen Z: A demographic renowned for its distinctive consumption habits, is prompting
retailers to reassess their clienteling strategies. This environmentally-conscious yet
fast-fashion consumers are a generation that desires personalization while harboring
deep concerns about data privacy.Brands that align their values with those of Gen Z,
such as embracing sustainable practices and ensuring robust data security, stand a
better chance of resonating with this demographic and fostering their loyalty.
According to Insider Intelligence, Gen Z exhibits preferences for causes they wish to
support with their spending. To provide effective clienteling services to this
generation, retailers must stay attuned to the evolving preferences and values of their
youthful clientele.
Clienteling Best Practices
Clienteling revolves around understanding your clients and establishing relationships that
foster repeat business. Numerous tactics exist to execute this strategy effectively, and going
into 2024 these are the key ones to focus on:
Encourage team collaboration
70%, of the consumers anticipate seamless collaboration among teams working behind the
scenes, while 54% express the expectation that a company shares internal information to
eliminate the need for clients to reiterate their details.
Deploying an efficient clienteling platform and seamlessly integrating it with your existing
infrastructure enables your entire team to synchronize efforts in understanding client
preferences, managing requests, and facilitating communication. This not only enhances the
experience but also optimizes the effectiveness and efficiency of client outreach and support
for your team.
Prioritize outreach
A successful clienteling strategy involves a considerable amount of outreach - the goal of
clienteling is to deepen long-term relationships. In a noisy marketplace with thousands of
brands competing for your clients attention, you’ll need to initiate if you want to stand out and
build relationships that last.
Proactive outreach can look like:
● Sending out client coupons or thank-you gifts, whether in virtual or physical form.
● Offering personalized recommendations to a select group of clients.
● Introducing loyal clients to newly implemented features and products and providing
demonstrations.
● Issuing referral codes or bonuses to incentivize client engagement.
● Conducting client feedback surveys to gather valuable insights.
● Soliciting feedback from loyal clients on upcoming product designs.
● Sending gentle reminders to client regarding product reorders and appointment
scheduling.
The key is to strengthen the relationship through relevant communication that continually
adds value and reassures your client that you are there for them.
Personalize
The more personalization embedded in your outreach and communications with your client,
the more impactful it becomes. Clienteling thrives on the basis of personalization, and
modern clients anticipate tailored experiences at every juncture.
Personalization does not need to be an extensive undertaking; even subtle touches can
make a significant difference.
● Directly addressing communications to the intended recipient.
● Adapting app experiences according to individual client preferences.
● Offering personalized recommendations based on purchase or search history.
● Providing unique coupons tailored to previous purchases or segmentation data.
● Sending birthday coupons or rewards to celebrate special occasions.
● Utilizing proximity messaging and marketing for targeted engagement.
The depth of your understanding about your clients directly correlates with your ability to
personalize. The more tailored their offers and communications, the higher the likelihood of
customer purchases, loyalty to your brand, and referrals to others.
Keep the relationship going
Client relationships can stagnate over time without consistent attention. A common pitfall in
clienteling is neglecting the relationship once a sale is finalized. Maintain a presence in your
client’s life post-purchase by delivering pertinent and personalized outreach, offers, and
communication.
● Ask for feedback or reviews to gauge satisfaction.
● Send informative communications on maximizing the value of their purchased
product.
● Issue reminders for post-service follow-ups or upcoming appointments, as applicable.
● Provide promotions for new products related to their initial purchase.
Clienteling is not constrained by a fixed end date. While the ultimate goal is, of course, the
completion of a sale, viewing the sale as just one phase in a continuous clienteling journey is
essential. Nurturing ongoing relationships enhances the likelihood of future sales, rendering
the process more efficient for your brand. Going into the future, sale teams should utilize
clienteling as a means to emphasize the relationship rather than solely focusing on making a
sale. The objective of clienteling is to cultivate enduring, successful relationships that
ultimately translate into increased sales over an extended period. In essence, it’s a long-term
strategy, and prioritizing sustained relationships over quick victories contributes more
significantly to your clienteling strategy than a narrow focus on immediate sales.
As 2023 concludes, the retail landscape of 2024 promises exciting transformations. Brands
that continually evolve, leveraging the latest technological innovations, are poised to thrive in
this dynamic market.