here are many reasons why digital receipts are so valuable in today’s retail, and restaurant, industry. From being eco-friendlier to minimising the cost of things such as paper, there are some immediate benefits.
That being said however, while many retailers are adapting to the new digital norm it’s likely that many aren’t maximising the potential of this innovation. Not only could your digital receipts be working harder for you and making the most of your investment into the systems and processes that drive them, but they can also generate more revenue as a result. By being able to win and retain more customers by just 5% it’s feasible to increase your profitability by between 25% to 95%.
What’s equally powerful is that while today’s customers are more discerning than ever, using the features and abilities of a digital receipt effectively creates a brand new channel. This channel taps directly into that hard-to-reach audience of in-store customers but does so digitally.
You could be… Doing Branding
Every touchpoint with a customer is a chance to share your brand and make a mark with them. And with digital receipts you can be a lot more creative than you were with a receipt from a traditional POS. Digital receipts offer the opportunity for you to really increase your brand awareness and identity even further.
From including your brand colours, logo and typography, you can build a cohesive and consistent brand across another touchpoint that a customer has a copy of. This increase in the brand consistency can even increase revenues as suggested in research by LucidPress reporting that consistent messaging increased brand revenue by over 20%.
You could be… Proactively Providing Valuable Links & Info to Customers
Blog posts and news is one thing, but having a single point of reference that your customers can use on a digital receipt to flag key information is really customer-centric.
You can leverage this by including links to product care information. How can you wash an item? Does it need servicing? Ensuring relevant and valuable links on the receipt answers many of your customers’ frequently asked questions.
You can also do this for warranty information or offer a direct link to register a product. A few simple clicks cover a customer for any eventuality, giving them peace of mind and a clear sense of good customer support.
Include customer support contact details as well. With easy access including phone numbers, email addresses, chat services, or even a WhatsApp link, the customer can easily reach out with any questions or issues post-purchase.
You could be… Leveraging Your Digital Content On The Receipt
Not unlike leaflets and mailers were once used to signal to your customers, you can be using your digital receipt to push content through to your target audience.
Digital content can take a number of forms, and can be particularly useful in things such as tech, cosmetics and even DIY. You can feature links to blog posts, how-to guides or even deep dives related to your customer’s purchase.
Companies can utilise this by flagging company news and events, spreading the word about corporate responsibility initiatives or their sustainability ethos.
What’s even better is that you don’t need to create new content for this. You can simply use what you already have from online, social media and email newsletters, just repurposed for this particular channel.
You could be… Easily Attracting Store Customers to Your Loyalty Program & Retailer App
Loyalty programs benefit both retailers and customers alike, and making them easier to access and use ensures both sides see these benefits. Having a digital receipt that loops your customer straight into your loyalty scheme can be incredibly powerful.
Seamless connection means that customers can engage with your digital offerings right away. By including direct clickable links in digital receipts customers can tap to navigate to relevant pages. This could be a link directly to the app store where the customer can download your mobile app. Or alternatively it can link to the sign-up page for your loyalty program.
Either of these can be further incentivised by offering a discount, loyalty points or a free gift to encourage customers to both interact in the first instance, but also to make a purchase or further interaction when downloaded.
You could be…… Delivering Offers that Motivate Customers to Purchase again
Personalisation is the key to every retail strategy and digital receipts can push this even further. If you have an ongoing relationship with a customer, their digital receipt can include personalised, tailored offers. These can be based on demographics, store location, and past purchases. This allows you to connect even more deeply with your customers and increase the chance that they will make a repeat purchase.
One great example of this is partnering coupons with previous purchases. So for example, if you had a customer that had recently purchased a coffee machine, you may offer them a coupon on coffee beans, or a new mug set. A well targeted, thought out coupon or offer increases the likelihood of a customer returning but also makes a customer feel valued.
You could be… Adding Customers To Your CRM
Data is power and having a CRM not only allows you to store that customer data effectively, but it can also help you build a bigger, truer picture of what your customers like, don’t like and more. Every digital receipt that you offer can help streamline your customer operations, interactions and data capture. When a customer inputs their details into the system it becomes smarter, allowing a more personalised service for your customers, but also making sure that your return on investment from marketing can be supercharged.
You could be… Engaging with Customers long after They’ve Left the Stores
A regular receipt may get put into a purse or wallet, lost, fade, or even get scrunched up and thrown away. However, a digital receipt can live in a customer’s email inbox forever, offering receipts that don’t just vanish. This means that the “half life” of a digital receipt is far longer than a regular one. What does this mean? It allows you as the retailer to continue to have that link and engagement with your customers long after they have left the store. Retention is so much easier as a result.
If a customer has received a digital receipt, it’s likely that they will have opted in to keep hearing from you. This is a chance for ongoing continued engagement based on their purchase history. You can make recommendations, ping them with relevant content and even send out post-purchase surveys and feedback requests. This type of content not only adds value to the customer’s experience but also boosts engagement by making the post-purchase phase interactive and informative.
Digital Receipts Are so much more than Proof of Purchase
As you can see from above digital receipts can be really put to work. They can foster great relationships with your customers, offer more value and opportunities for them to take advantage of and even drive higher revenues and loyalty.
Having a great digital receipt system that integrates organically into your existing system also brings your customer closer to a unified retail experience. They can interact with you as much as they like, but you offer them all the tools, links and offers in one place. This makes sure that every single purchase and transaction is open-ended, a chance for more engagement and deepened customer relationships. This integration not only streamlines the process but turns every receipt into a potential return visit, purchase, or interaction.
If your digital receipts are being overlooked, or you feel like you could be doing so much more, chat with us at refive today to learn more about how we can help them work harder for you and your customers.
