Epic customer journeys: bridging the online and offline experience

A customer journey is never straight forward. They often take the long way round on their road towards basket completion. Across the funnel and beyond, affiliate marketing can help motivate customers, whether they’re online or offline.

As marketeers, we know it's our job to make the customer the hero. And it’s fitting then, that now more than ever, customer journeys resemble a hero’s epic adventure.

In many ways, it was the Covid pandemic that led to this. Stores closed, retailers moved online and we saw an ecommerce boom. Awin sales soared by 36% throughout this period. In today’s post-Covid landscape, shoppers will zigzag between the online and offline experience.

A more meandering customer journey has drawbacks. There are more opportunities to turn back, get cold feet, or drop off the map completely. So, how can brands find their hero and identify the right junction to nudge them towards basket completion? Introducing a surprising sidekick; the affiliate marketing channel.

This channel is hampered by misunderstandings and myths that originate in the early 2000s. But, for over 25 years, affiliate marketing, has been a powerful tool in any savvy advertiser's marketing strategy. Today, the channel is almost unrecognizable.

Affiliate marketing platforms like Awin make it possible to build campaigns that influence the customer journeys at every stage of a purchase; including joining up online-and-offline strategies.

So, let’s put it to the test following a hypothetical customer on their first steps towards a purchase. It’s nearing the end of summer. The garden needs tidying and those hedges need a good trim. But the rusty hand shears just aren’t up to the job anymore. Our customer is in the market for an electric cordless hedge trimmer.

Card linked technology

They get an email from their bank; 5% cashback direct to their card for shopping in-store with a well-known DIY brand. Tempting, but they're unsure where the nearest store is.

Reward, Cardlytics and Airtime are all partners active on the Awin platform that connect with major banks in the UK. This allows brands to provide cash back direct to the customer’s card. Uplift can vary by sector, but a high-end fashion retailer reported an uplift of 67% in average order value. Whilst 1 in 4 banking customers will interact with a banking offer according to Cardlytics.

Localized search

Without knowing where the nearest store is, our customer hasn’t taken advantage of their 5% cashback offer. The hedge trimmer in question is still quite expensive, so their next step is online; a Google search to find the best price. A localized inventory advert shows them the nearest store to click and collect the next day.

Shoparize is a partner active on Awin that makes it possible to host local inventory ads on Google, whilst also being able to provide comparison shopping services (CSS) too if needed.

Localized inventory ads have a 20% higher click through rate than traditional shopping ads. With one advertiser reporting an increase of 31% in conversions too according to a case study written by Shoparize.

Intelligent overlays

At last, our customer is close to completing their purchase online. They’re on the DIY store’s website to arrange their purchase and collect their product in store tomorrow. However, when they try to input their voucher code for 5% cashback, they make an error, and it doesn’t work. They’re now at risk of abandoning their purchase completely.

Thankfully, the website has an intelligent overlay, triggered by signs of exiting. Using the product’s SKU code, our customer is shown voucher codes that are eligible. Amongst hundreds of other data points, the technology has also worked out that the customer is within 10 minutes' drive of the store. The customer uses a voucher code that works, makes their order and then heads to the store the next day collect.

Intent.ly, UpSellit and SaleCycle are all partners that provide overlay technology to target different customer behavior. Whilst performances can vary depending on the strength of offer and overlay type, one retailer reported increases of 95% in conversion rate, with an increase of 24% of ROI, according to a case study written by Intent.ly.

In all these hypothetical examples, solutions came via Awin’s MasterTag. This powerful piece of JavaScript makes it possible to seamlessly integrate solutions (like personalized overlays and card linked technology) without the need for a developer team. As Solutions Client Partner at Awin, I often hear from brands with long development queues. This represents a large barrier to entry when looking to implement some of this technology. With Awin, it requires one-click activation.

Integrating affiliates into your wider strategy can be a powerful way to bridge the gap between online and offline channels. We know online and offline shopping experiences inform the final decision, so it’s important to influence them both holistically. Affiliates can drive in-store traffic, enhance brand visibility, leverage local markets, track offline conversions, to create omnichannel campaigns.

As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, businesses must adapt and innovate to stay ahead. By leveraging the power of affiliates, businesses can create a seamless and cohesive customer experience that spans both online and offline channels, ultimately driving growth and success. For most, an online and offline customer experience represents a challenge, but for the savvy advertiser with affiliate marketing as its trusty sidekick, it represents an opportunity.

Got a marketing challenge? There’s an affiliate for that. Find out what Awin can do for your business.