3 Reasons Why 2018 is the Year of the Customer

07/12/2017 | Share:

The past year has just flown by. So with 2018 almost upon us, we take a look at what your ecommerce business needs to consider during the coming months, and why 2018 will be the year of the customer.

1. GDPR is coming

In six months time, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) directive will come into force on the 25th May 2018.

Therefore if you are not sure if all the personal identifiable information (PII) your ecommerce business holds on file is compliant, then now might be a good time to research the new GDPR directive or consult with a data storage expert, make sure you don’t leave it too late as you don’t know how much work it will take to make you compliant.

2. Customer brand ambassadors will drive sales

Word of mouth referrals are one of the most valuable marketing tools for brands and customers alike. As a result, social media has not only become a beneficial way for consumers to share their brand experiences with friends and family, but a way for organisations to engage with consumers, build brand awareness and perception and ask for feedback.

This is sure to continue in 2018, as more and more customers take on a brand ambassador or online influencer roles. Not convinced? Take a look the amount of brand engagement across social media channels, including the number of retailers now investing in paid advertising such as Facebook ads.
Consumers are increasingly sharing brand testimonials and product reviews with their wider online network. Meaning existing customers could organically reach out to a new like-minded audience with positive information about your ecommerce business.

Of course this form of ‘word of mouth’ can work both ways, so by doing what you can to resolve a complaint maybe even create another brand ambassador for your business.

3. Search engines love customer centric content

We really can’t stress this enough, but search engines such as Google love customer centric content. So to ensure your website content lands with not only target audience, but the search engines too, always talk to your customers about their wants and needs.
Also you only have between 8 – 10 seconds for your ecommerce content to land with a potential customer, so make it really clear why your product or service is the solution to their problem.

So there you have it, by making 2018 the year of the customer, you will be able to set your business apart from your competitors and keep your customers happy.