The importance of a seamless customer journey
Tired, achy and needing a break, I wanted to go to the spa. I live in a spa city, so finding somewhere to go for a massage and afternoon tea was not a difficult process.
The only problem was the price.
These days, spa visits cost a (not so) small fortune, so there was no way I could afford one in the run up to Christmas. Thankfully, on the lookout for a bargain, I came across a Facebook post advertising a 2 for 1 spa day close to home.
Perfect! I could finally book a trip with a friend to a calming, relaxing place. I decided to claim the offer while it was available, grabbed my debit card and clicked on the link.
That was when it all went wrong.
The link took me to the spa’s website, where I had to fill out a form in order to claim the offer. I stopped, confused. There was no information about the offer itself, other than that it was a ‘2 for 1 spa day’. Nothing about treatments, nothing about food. I was no longer sure what I was signing up for.
Shrugging, I began to fill out the form anyway, but stopped again when I got to the end. I was asked to choose an half-hour time slot for my visit.
Half an hour? What happened to a spa day? The promise of the Facebook post didn’t match what I was seeing.
If I wanted extra information I would have to call or email the spa. Pressed for time, I closed the tab and resolved to do it another day.
I never did.
Moral of the story? If you’re not creating a consistent and seamless customer journey, you’re probably missing out on sales.
So, how do you avoid making the same mistake as the spa I never went to? It’s simple, really. Follow a three-step process to streamline your customer journey.
Begin the customer journey with a promotion (or three)
Nobody will know about your vouchers, tickets or offers if you don’t promote them. Come up with a marketing campaign to push out across social media, email and print. It only takes a poster, a banner and a couple of graphics to draw in a whole new potential audience. If you’re stuck for time, ready-made voucher campaigns can be found in One Tree’s Promotional Materials Library.
Get creative with where you advertise. Add a graphic to your email footers or save a page in your Christmas brochure. Print a couple of sample vouchers and show them to guests at the front desk. Put up a poster in the ladies’ loos.
If a potential customer hears a lot about it, they’re more likely to buy it. For proof of this, take a look at our blog about The Baader-Meinhoff Phenomenon.
Give an immediate direction
Online promotions should link back to your specific voucher/event/special offer page. Print promotions should direct potential customers straight to the front desk or your website.
Studies have found assertive advertisements to be most effective because people who convince themselves they can do it later often don’t buy. Show them what they can buy, then direct them to a place they can buy it immediately.
Make sure that the page you are directing them to offers them the same, if not more, information about the product or service. As proven by my spa story, conflicting information (or lack of information) can dissuade customers from completing a purchase.
Keep the sales process quick and easy
This is where One Tree products come in handy. Automating the sales process for vouchers, tickets and offers not only saves your staff time and effort but also allows potential customers to make immediate sales.
Unlike myself with the spa offer, online shoppers do not have to email or call you in order to find out basic information or buy your products and services. This increases the chance of each purchase being completed while the interest remains. It’s why our clients often see a 100% increase in voucher sales after their One Tree shop goes live.
The system can also be accessed by front desk staff, allowing them to print vouchers or tickets when visiting customers ask for them. This immediacy within the customer journey reduces the chances of customers putting off a purchase and never seeing it through.
For more information on our products and how they can help to increase your sales, contact us at [email protected].
“50% of annual gift voucher sales take place in November and December and the other 50% in the remaining 10 months of the year.”
“Almost 70% of gift recipients will spend a higher amount than the value of the gift voucher when they visit your venue.”
“Non-redemptions vary according to individual businesses. Once the voucher has expired the revenue adds to your bottom line.”