7/5/13
Consumers worldwide are receptive to receiving personalized promotions and other information about products and services that are relevant to them, according to a study by B-Conversational. Almost half (48%) say they’d love to receive highly relevant, personalized information about products and services, and 43% would love to receive relevant, personalized sales promotions. A third (33%) is interested in personalized advertising.
The majority of consumers want companies to use their purchase history and other customer data to make the purchase process easier and to facilitate customer service when they have a problem.
Consumers expect companies to facilitate self-service at various points through the purchase cycle. Seven in 10 consumers worldwide (76% in U.S.) expect websites to include self-service features. Four in 10 (40% worldwide; 42% in U.S.) prefer to use self-service features over human interaction for contacting companies.
Specifically, during the presales and information-gathering phase, 56% of consumers worldwide prefer to make contact using self-service applications such as Web forms and email, while 27% prefer to ask questions over the phone. After making a purchase, 48% prefer to get help through self-service features (email, Web form) and 35% prefer to call customer service.
SOURCE: “The Real Self-Service Economy,” June 2013, B-Conversational, Steven Van Belleghem, Principal, 011-32-497-473-444; steven@vanbelleghem.biz; www.stevenvanbelleghem.com.
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