Five strategies to help marketers bridge the customer journey gap
Anthony Capano, regional director for Intuit Mailchimp, explains how to utilise key drivers of loyalty like emotional connection, routine, and simplicity in your marketing.
Marketers often imagine an ideal customer experience—predictable, seamless, and linear.
But in today’s interconnected world, journeys rarely follow a straight path. Instead of following a structured process, consumers often make purchase decisions based on emotions, convenience, and how well a brand aligns with their worldview.
Intuit Mailchimp’s The Science of Loyalty report reveals that 88% of Australian shoppers prefer brands that make them feel good over those focused solely on transactions. Yet many companies still miss key drivers of loyalty like emotional connection, routine, and simplicity.
Bridging the gap between marketer expectations and consumer preferences requires more than advanced tools. The good news? With data-backed personalisation, creating meaningful relationships is not just possible—it’s achievable.
To transform customer experiences, consider these five actionable strategies:
1. Map and optimise the customer journey
A successful marketing strategy starts with understanding the journey in detail. Mapping out each step of the journey—from a customer discovering your brand to becoming a loyal advocate—helps identify opportunities to optimise the experience. For instance, by analysing interaction data, you can pinpoint bottlenecks and optimise key touchpoints for engagement and conversions.
Breaking down the journey into smaller stages can provide actionable insights. At each stage, ask: What does the customer want? What’s stopping them from moving forward? You can then craft targeted campaigns that not only solve their problems but also guide them seamlessly to the next step.
2. Leverage predictive analytics to anticipate needs and deliver value
Don’t just guess what shoppers might buy. Analyse patterns like purchase frequency, seasonal habits, and churn risks to offer personalised recommendations.
You can use predictive analytics across channels to craft a unified, data-driven experience. They can help you create tailored emails, send real-time SMS messages, or refine website interactions by showcasing items a customer is most likely to engage with. If someone is likely to run out of a product, for example, send them a discount or subscription reminder.
Regularly update algorithms to stay accurate as preferences shift. By doing this, predictive analytics become a tool for trust, loyalty, and growth.
3. Craft dynamic content for personalisation
Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all marketing. Personalised content now creates direct, meaningful connections with individual customers.
Leverage adaptive messaging that changes based on real-time data. For instance, dynamic emails can display different content based on a recipient’s location, preferences, or recent actions. They can highlight weather-specific clothing or regional-specific promotions. Or they can celebrate milestones, like birthdays or anniversaries with your brand through tailored rewards and messages.
Take it a step further by using zero-party data—information customers willingly share, like style preferences or interests—to co-create bespoke style guides, curated product bundles, or exclusive content.
Personalisation doesn’t just drive conversions; it builds trust by showing that you understand your audience.
4. Adopt an omnichannel approach for seamless interactions everywhere
Today’s customers expect consistency no matter where they interact with your brand. Whether they’re shopping on an app, clicking an email, or messaging on social media, they want a seamless experience.
For example, a user might start shopping on a mobile app and finish on a desktop. Make sure their progress is saved across devices. Use tools like customer data platforms (CDPs) to centralise all information. This allows you to personalise follow-ups. If someone clicks on a product in an Instagram ad, follow up with an email that suggests similar items or offers a discount.
Integration is key. Align emails, SMS, and social channels to keep communication consistent. By doing this, omnichannel strategies create trust and ensure smooth journeys.
5. Implement marketing automation for efficiency and growth
Marketing automation makes it easier to personalise customer engagement at scale. It handles repetitive tasks like email follow-ups, cart reminders, and thank-you messages, so businesses can focus on strategy instead of manual work.
Automated workflows can send relevant messages based on actions, like browsing a product or downloading a guide. If someone adds something to their cart but doesn’t check out, an automation can send them a discount email right away without extra effort — this is a basic yet effective use of automation.
Predictive analytics can also be leveraged through automation to anticipate customer behaviour. If a customer shows patterns indicating they may churn, it can trigger a re-engagement campaign featuring personalised offers, content, or rewards tailored to their previous interactions and preferences.
Automation also works to the benefit of omnichannel strategies. It ensures consistent messages across channels, creating a smooth and connected experience for customers while saving time and resources.
Strengthening emotional resonance in today’s brand relationships
As highlighted in Mailchimp’s research, emotional resonance is a significant driver of loyalty. Customers gravitate towards brands that align with their values and make them feel good about their choices. Campaigns like Spotify Wrapped succeed because they celebrate individuality, creating joy and connection. These moments foster belonging and deepen loyalty over time.
Whether you’re refining your existing processes or exploring new tools, these five approaches offer a path to more customer-centric marketing. Together, they ensure that every interaction with your brand is built to connect. When businesses focus on making people feel valued, they build stronger relationships that last.
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