Lengow Day 2018 : key takeaways from our 6th year (Part 3)

27th September saw our 6th annual Lengow Day. This year was all about highlighting a key aspect of ecommerce: the customer. Let’s take a look at the topics discussed during our third and final talk, “Go Beyond Your Achievements”.

Loyalty, the key to a successful customer relationship

Kim Bosch Abert (Marketing, Digital & Ecommerce Manager – SABA) and Ulrich Bartholomäus (Managing Director – Stylight GmbH) tackled the issues of customer loyalty in a one-on-one discussion.

Specialising in parking management, the Spanish company SABA offers multiple services, all under one roof: car park rental, car/motorcycle/bike sharing, and the possibility to load a car or pick up parcels in pick-up points.

Having recognised that their customers are looking for a loyalty program based solely on promotions, Saba has focused on offering a 100% digital experience to its users, in particular by offering more device-led solutions. Customers can go to the site, rent a parking space for an hour or several days, and enter and leave the car park using their mobile and a QR code.

SABA has also set up a survey to find out more about its customers. It was after this that the company realised people had to make an average of seven phone calls before contacting them. To tackle this, the company decided to develop its presence on social networks, not only to develop its community, but also to listen to its customers. Chatbots have also been set up to facilitate listening to customers and their needs.

According to Kim Bosch Abert (Marketing, Digital & Ecommerce Manager – SABA), the key to a good customer experience requires a unique, quality and organised database. He also emphasises the importance of gathering all information on the same customer in the same place, in order to then offer them an omnichannel experience. Algorithms and machine learning are powerful tools that present a competitive advantage, making them an essential investment.

With 10 million unique visitors, Stylight sells in 17 markets and aggregates up to 30 million products on its online store. To inspire and retain customers, the online fashion specialist has a programmed algorithm to specifically select products for people when they arrive on the site via desktop or mobile. Stylight also offers “Style Deal” products every day and regularly publishes fashion-oriented content to maintain its relationship with customers. As Ulrich Bartholomäus (Managing Director – Stylight GmbH) points out, carrying out a customer loyalty strategy is a daily task, and one that requires a competitive advantage in order to stand out. This also requires going further in the way interactions with customers or prospective customers takes place – by constantly listening to them, understanding their needs and acting upon them accordingly.

“Go Beyond”

To close the morning’s discussions, we also had the pleasure of welcoming Taïg Khris. A former sportsman, he has since donned his entrepreneur’s cap to launch onoff, a multi-number mobile app without a SIM card.

For this talk, entitled “Go Beyond”, Taïg Khris highlighted a number of steps that led to the creation of the app. He decided to tackle the telecommunications industry, the largest in the world, with the aim to bring something new and “uberise” it, whilst paying special attention to the user experience. The international aspect was also a big one for Taïg Khris who, above all, wanted to create a product that’s accessible worldwide and easy to distribute globally. With onoff, users can connect to each other and communicate across the four corners of the globe easily and quickly.