Mauro Carobene
Head of Customer Interactions Suite, Tata Communications
Learn how CPaaS solutions are revolutionising the retail and ecommerce sectors, offering businesses effective tools to bolster customer loyalty while reducing cart abandonment rates.
In today’s crowded retail landscape, sending customers the right message at the right moment is a critical differentiator. CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service) is cloud-based communication technology that allows retailers to engage with their customers in real-time across multiple channels like email, SMS, WhatsApp and more. By reaching customers on their preferred channels, retailers can improve the customer experience, enhance loyalty and reduce cart abandonment.
Unlocking customer engagement with CPaaS
Incorporating a CPaaS solution into retail and ecommerce strategies opens up a realm of possibilities for enhancing customer engagement. Modern communication platforms give customers the ability to interact with the brand in real time. Engaging communication makes a critical difference when customers are shopping online, choosing between limitless options.
Customers can choose their preferred language and communication platform for easy interaction with a business, offering complete flexibility. Notifications such as shipping updates, which were once a ‘nice to have,’ are now expected among customers.
Businesses can customise their communication channels based on their budget, target audience, marketing strategy and more.
Streamlining communication channels
CPaaS empowers businesses to streamline communication channels, allowing for seamless interactions across various touchpoints; and they can connect with a diverse, global audience. This not only improves the customer journey but also improves efficiency in internal communication.
Businesses can customise their communication channels based on their budget, target audience, marketing strategy and more. By conducting tests of their customer base, they can understand which channels are most effective for different demographic groups. For example, some generations may still prefer to receive discounts via email while others are engrossed in WhatsApp for their day-to-day communication.
Businesses can harness the WhatsApp Business Platform’s capabilities for more engaging customer interactions. With interactive buttons, file sharing and more, it has emerged as the preferred platform for many shoppers.
Personalised experiences drive loyalty
By leveraging CPaaS capabilities, retailers can deliver personalised experiences tailored to individual customer preferences, fostering long-term loyalty. Customers can opt-in to receive deals, loyalty programmes and product demonstrations or even leave feedback or reviews. Simply including a customer’s name or celebrating them on their birthday makes a huge difference in how attached someone feels to their favourite brand.
Combatting cart abandonment
CPaaS tools are invaluable in combatting cart abandonment. From offering real-time help via Chatbot to sending an SMS reminder or discount when a cart is left with items, sending the right message at the right time makes a massive difference. The average cart abandonment rate across all industries is 69.57%, and this is even higher among mobile shoppers.1 Abandoned cart reminders can reduce lost sales by 14%2 with some clients seeing results as high as 50%.
The results are even stronger when you consider platforms that can send shoppers directly back to their cart with a link. Digital communication makes it easy for shoppers to keep their items top of mind and return to their cart, and adding a discount makes the offer even more enticing.
Easy way to connect with customers
With CPaaS, businesses can build real-time communication strategies and features without having to develop them from scratch. It’s a simple way to personalise interactions for ease and speed. It’s suitable for businesses of any size, saving them time and resources while keeping customers updated and happy.
[1] Sleeknote
[2] Shopify