What is phygital Marketing? It’s not a typo. It’s a real thing. We’ll help you define it:
Phygital marketing is the merging of digital and physical experiences.
One example of phygital marketing is communicating with potential customers that might switch between online and in-store shopping. Customers also use their mobile phones to enhance in-store shopping experiences.
The experience is important, especially for B2B. 86% of B2B buyers are willing to pay more for an amazing experience. Nearly half of B2B buyers made an impulse purchase after experiencing a great experience.
Many B2B marketers are reluctant to acknowledge that all consumer trends eventually make their way into B2B. Your “buyers” can also be “consumers” during the 16 hours that they aren’t working. Let’s be open-minded.
With careful planning, phygital Marketing can be a powerful tool to connect with and engage customers.
Here are some quick tips:
B2C customers still desire the authentic shopping experience, despite the popularity of e-commerce. Phygital marketing also optimizes the customer experience for B2B customers. How you do that depends on your audience and your products/services.Phygital marketing examples show that the concept can be anything from an all-encompassing business strategy to a few tweaks to improve the experience.
What is Phygital Marketing and how does it work?
My good friend James Tennant, from Converge, sent me an email a few weeks back. He looked at trends in keywords and phrases as well as related questions from a variety of B2B subjects. It identified “Phygital marketing” as a key search trend in marketing.
So I did some research and decided to share my findings. (By the by, I suggest signing up for his Converge “TrendingUp” keyword insights email newsletter.
Phygital marketing combines the best of both online and real-life purchases to enhance the overall experience.
There has been much talk about physical stores closing down, particularly with e-commerce growing rapidly under COVID-19 restrictions. People still want to experience the authentic-life shopping experience.
Optimized phygital marketing strategies prioritize sensory experiences that can’t be had via apps. B2B is where phygital marketing seems even more crucial: The stakes can be higher.
Digital technology can be used by phygital marketing to enhance physical experiences.
How to Create a Phygital Marketing Strategie
These are just a few steps that you can use to create your strategy.
Research Your Audience
If your business is primarily an e-commerce company, consider what sensory experiences your customers might need.
Brands with physical stores should consider how digital technology and activities could improve the real-life experience.
For inspiration, start with your reviews and feedback. What are the most common issues buyers have for buying your product? Examine the data of unhappy customers to determine what went wrong and how you can use phygital marketing strategies to correct it.
Different people shop online in different ways. 51% of mobile shoppers use the app to shop online and access discounts, compare prices, or read reviews. 66% of Gen Z agree that in-store availability is important.
Buyers in B2B are younger than ever, and marketers don’t think so, so be aware of that when you plan your marketing strategy.
Surveys are a great way to get feedback from your customers and improve your shopping experience.
You can change tactics to achieve your goals
Some brands find phygital advertising attractive as it allows them to scale their overhead and in-store operations. E-commerce brands may want to consider phygital advertising to reach new customers.
What are your goals? Some types of phygital advertising require large investments. Before you dive in, make sure you have goals and a plan.
Prioritize emotions and senses
Physical shops are more than just about shopping – they offer a sensory experience.
The internet makes it possible to see and hear. Online shopping experiences do not allow us to use our other senses, such as taste, smell, or touch.
However, it’s difficult to duplicate another aspect online: the human connection and emotions that go with it.
You could use images of real people to create conversational content and live chats with your customers via social media. However, it isn’t quite the same as being present in another environment.
Five Examples of Phygital Marketing
Without even realizing it, you’ve likely used phygital advertising on numerous occasions.
Some of these phygital marketing strategies might not work during COVID-19, while others may be perfect. Some might be applicable to B2C, but not B2B. We can still learn from them all. It is important to think long-term.
1. Pop-Up Shops and Event Booths
You can engage your audience by hosting pop-ups at festivals, craft shows, events in the industry, or on marketplaces. These tactics can be used to build hype prior to product launches and promote high-ticket products.
Sonos, an audio company that makes high-end products, joined forces with Google to create sound chambers in selected cities for patrons to experience 3D soundscapes. Visitors could personalize their experience with a preloaded iPad. Sonos can also use data from the app for insights into their audience.
This Sonos popup could be used as a B2B marketing strategy to reach businesses that are interested in purchasing superior sound tech for their studios, theaters, or venues.
2. A Real-World Customer Centre
Banks are caught in a dilemma: While most customers do their banking online, 50% prefer to visit a branch for specific services.
Capital One transformed numerous branches in major cities into coffee shops, with co-working spaces and workshops. Capital One saw the need for human interaction and created a valuable community space.
This strategy is especially smart for B2B. Co-working spaces continue to thrive despite the WeWork scandal. This is especially important for B2B, as professionals who work from home often need an escape.
Consider your market and open a cafe in your area.
You might offer Wi-Fi access for printing, meetings, and general Wi Fi use. You can also keep a brand concierge available to answer any questions.
You could also consider the Amazon Go strategy. Let patrons place orders from their phones or take what they want and then automatically charge them when they return.
3. Distribute limited product samples directly to consumers
Many startups today launch consumer products with the long-term goal to go B2B. Take Perfect Day, a California-based vegan food startup.
Perfect Day’s vegan ice cream was launched as a consumer product. The founders were unable to restock the product as it was quickly sold out. Why?
It was our goal to make the technology behind animal-free “dairy”, available to larger companies and manufacturers.
Smart move: Perfect Day used traditional marketing to demonstrate the success of their product with consumers, while also using digital tools to market it to businesses.
4. Use AR & VR
Amazon, Target, as well as other big retailers, have launched AR tools that allow customers to visualize how furniture might look inside their homes.
However, B2Bs aren’t falling behind.
Aircraft companies, medical device manufacturers, and food processing companies all have embraced the augmented reality trend to combine the digital and physical worlds.
5. Incorporate Wearable Tech
Wearables offer a unique phygital marketing opportunity. Hilton is an example. Hilton America’s Leadership Conference guests received a wearable device which allowed them to easily exchange contact information.
Gamification was also used to encourage engagement. Attendees were rewarded with points for each interaction, which they could exchange for merchandise at the event shop.
It worked!
On average, each attendee made 31 connections.
Wearable devices also have the ability to:
Facilitate attendees’ navigation
As hosts try to avoid bottlenecks and go touchless, expect wearables to be the norm at events in a post COVID-19 world. Expect to see things you haven’t seen before.
You also have access to previously unknown metrics and analytics.
What does Phygital Marketing mean to you?
Expect phygital marketing’s importance to increase as COVID-19 changes the way we do business.
It is unlikely that the surge in online business and shopping will return to pre-pandemic levels. People will appreciate real-world interactions and realize that they no longer take in-person interactions for granted.
Each brand will have to find a way to combine the digital experience with in-store shopping. What approach will work best for you and your offerings?
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What is Phygital marketing? Marketing Insider Group: 5 Examples of Consumer Marketing and How to Use It appeared first.
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By: Michael Brenner
Title: What is Phygital Marketing? How to Use It and 5 Consumer Marketing Examples
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/marketing-strategy/what-is-phygital-marketing-how-to-use-it-and-5-examples/
Published Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2022 13:00:52 +0000
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