Social Fresh 2013 Social Media Predictions: 5/10
More and more companies continue to invest in secure online payment processing and mobile payment options for the increasingly savvy digital customer.
The other day I was purchasing some winter cycling gear on TheClymb.com. When I reached the payment screen it asked if I would like to checkout using my Amazon account. With a single click all of my information, ship-to address etc was populated and my transaction complete.
Then, it gave me the option to share my purchase on Facebook or Twitter.
Then my receipt was emailed to me and contained all of the brands contact points from customer service to social platforms.
This is where all retailers are headed.
Turning Transactions Into Relationships
The possibilities of a payment platform with integrated social networks offers huge value to both the businesses and the consumer.
Almost every brand is using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram—all trying to get the attention of consumers. The receipt should be more than a record or proof of purchase for a product/service, it should be a robust email with a Thank you and include all of a brands social networks allowing consumers to share their recent purchase.
The ability for businesses to extend the customer relationship post transaction is vastly improved by the ever evolving digital toolkit.
One of the first goals of social media was to simply get followers or likes—to build an audience. Now brands are realizing this is not enough. The more information a brand shares about itself with its customers and the more information it has regarding its customers, the more targeted the marketing efforts can get and the more personal the experience can be.
Transactions Get Easier
One place to streamline this data sharing would be during payment. Rather than making people fill-out box after box of info; name, address, email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.. it could all be pre-loaded (maybe it is set up via financial institutions like your bank or credit card) and each consumer opts-in and shares as much or as little as they feel comfortable with.
The sale should not be viewed as the final step, it should be considered one step in process of building brand and customer loyalty. Technology is making this easier for both sides of the equation. Brands will embrace this in 2013.