unifiedI Probably mentioned a great deal too often this month already, that due to rising customer demands and the increasing desire for free choice of the shopping channel, brands have to step up to the plate. So, let me at least point out that predictive Intelligence can help here.

Nothing works without mobile

Customers can shop today regardless of time and place by using mobile devices, consequently the retail landscape must align to the situation that orders are increasingly channeled through mobile technologies and consumers even switch between different devices. The solution for shops is a unified platform, as mentioned before, as only this way a consistent shopping experience across all channels can be guaranteed. It is nowadays simply too easy for consumers to notice whether their needs are seriously taken care of or where else it is more convenient to shop. For dealers, this means using technology in a way that supports its customers the most in their purchasing decision.

Online and offline trade must be closely intertwined

It goes without saying that this can be implemented faster through a single, cloud-based platform, where data and functions can be consolidated and managed as well as rapidly expanded and adapted to new challenges. In the end, it's always about retailers offering their clients the most convenient way of shopping, therefore, shoppers should be able to make use of online and offline channels as desired.

For decades, retailers showcased products without having any knowledge about their customers’ desires and buying habits. Therefore, a lot of offers have been perceived as dull, but fortunately that has changed with data analysis. By now, retailers have a lot of customer data they receive, for example, from newsletter opt-ins or at the POS, from surfing behavior or social media. A meaningful linkage and analysis of such data, can support the dealers in creating relevant offers for their existing and potential customers.

The role of 'Predictive Intelligence'

In recent years, data science has without doubt made immense progress and many of these findings are included in modern eCommerce platforms. The result is ‘Predictive Intelligence’, which allows dealers to use both Big and Small Data for sales success. The challenge is to combine the two, which means general information on a large number of customers with the individual small data information of individual shoppers. Especially the subject of Small Data offers great potential to predict what individual customers are really interested in.

Predictive Intelligence, for instance, can cater to the preferences of an individual user in real-time regarding search or navigation. Above all, prices and product promotions could be displayed on a shopping page based on an individual customer history.

Digital marketing can benefit from the knowledge of an intelligent commerce platform as well, for example, by delivering appropriate social ads or emails to customers based on current online visits. Hence, there is no doubt that ‘Predictive intelligence’ will evolve into a key capability in eCommerce in order to retain existing customers and to attract new ones in the future.

By Daniela La Marca