91 BUSINESS ADVICE messaging is about responding to data that you already have that is readily available. For instance, if a customer has provided their date of birth as part of their online profile, you can easily set up automated techniques to offer bespoke discount codes or sales incentives to celebrate your customers’ birthday. Not only will this create a positive relationship with your audience, but it could also entice them to return to your online store. Matt Sherwen, owner of Sherwen Studios says: “If you’re not already offering bespoke experiences to your customers online, it can be daunting to know where to start. Our five-point checklist is just the tip of the iceberg of what personalised experiences are available for craft retail brands. These suggestions are just as suitable for smaller, independent brands as they are large retailers. We’re advocating for a change in the retail status quo. We want to challenge retailers to move away from singular shopping experiences and ‘one-size-fitsall’ approaches and make use of the wide range of accessible technology that can quickly facilitate these suggestions.” He adds: “It’s also important to remember that adding in personalised shopping experiences shouldn’t have a start and finish timeline. Customer shopping habits are always evolving and changing, so it’s more cost effective to take a ‘continual improvement’ approach to your digital transformations. If you can continually add small changes, and make minor improvements to your online platforms, you’ll be better positioned to respond to your customers and see what is and isn’t working. Not only is it a more economical way of working, but you’ll be able to benefit from any improvements much quicker.” As digital retail specialists, Sherwen Studios have worked with national brands, helping them to incorporate personalised shopping experiences into their online platforms. As well as facilitating the right technology, the firm has also conducted extensive research into consumer shopping expectations through the publication of a white paper: Bricks and mortar vs online retail. How to combine online and offline experiences to improve shopping for your customers. To find out more about Sherwen Studios, please visit www.sherwen.com
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