Ecommerce is changing. Recent changes in data privacy, such as the upcoming iOS 15 update, mean that ecommerce store owners need to adapt quickly to keep up to date with their customers.
Introducing Octane AI. The all-in-one platform for direct data collection and CRO via Shop Quiz, personalized Messenger and SMS automation, and Opt in tools. Octane AI is transforming the customer and merchant journey.
Ben Parr is the President and Co-Founder of Octane AI. Thousands of Shopify and Shopify plus merchants use Octane AI to engage, convert, and retain customers through innovative data collection and a personalized shopping experience.
We’re delighted to hear Ben and our podcast host Daniel Budai discuss CRO, personalizing your customer journey and:
✔️ Octane AI’s Origins
✔️ Octane AI’s Key Features
✔️ Engaging Quizzes for your Ecommerce Store
✔️ Getting Attention to your Ecommerce Store
Ben Co-Founded Octane AI in 2016. Initially, Octane AI was primarily concerned with Messenger chatbots. Five years down the line, Octane AI’s main focus is now Zero Party Data.
Ben maintains that Octane AI’s founding principles remain the same:
“Helping customers and brand owners communicate is at the core of everything we do.”
Messenger Chatbots are still very important to Octane AI, but so are Shop Quizzes, personalized SMS automation, and omnichannel marketing. Like any digital entrepreneur, Ben is all about adaptability and evolution.
Octane AI does two main things:
Octane AI uses Zero Party Data. That is, it collects data directly from customers via Shop Quiz, Messenger, and SMS communication. Ben warns against relying on third-party data. You don’t own third-party data, and it could be taken from you at any time. When you quiz customers on what products they’re looking for, you engage them in brand communication and collect direct data.
Octane AI then leverages this data to personalize the customer experience. Octane AI works perfectly with Klaviyo to segment your customers according to Octane AI’s data collection. This allows you to run targeted marketing campaigns.
Ben and Daniel agree that retaining customers is even more valuable than gaining customers. In Ben’s experience, the lifetime value (LTV) of customers who take quizzes usually goes up anywhere between 10 - 50% depending on the brand.
Both Daniel and Ben say: Keep it Simple.
Your Shop Quiz doesn’t need to be 10 - 15 questions long. Keep it short and sweet. Ben’s advice is to imagine your ecommerce store as a physical store. When a customer walks in, what are they going to ask?
If you own a shoe shop, for example, it’s likely that your customers will ask about shoe size, width, material, or brands. So if you own an ecommerce shore store, it makes sense to quiz your customers on what shoe size, width, material, or brand they’re looking for. It’s really as simple as that!
Just one question can make all the difference. Ben gives another example of an ecommerce pet store asking its site visitors, “Cat or Dog?”. Just that one question drastically streamlines the customer’s journey towards conversion.
Ben has written an entire book about the science and psychology of capturing people’s attention: Captivology. So if you want a deep dive into grabbing your customer’s attention, we recommend checking it out!
Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet for capturing attention. But Ben does have a couple of tips for us:
If you’re just starting out in your ecommerce business, capturing attention is a different ballpark to someone who already has brand attention and wants to cast their net wider.
If your aim is to attract new customers, your strategy will be different to the aim of capturing and keeping the attention of existing customers.
Capturing attention will also vary according to different sub-sects of customers. That’s why it’s so important to segment your marketing strategy using detailed customer data.
Your marketing will vary according to your product and buyer persona.
Beauty brands, for example, tend to really benefit from influencer marketing. If you’re selling high-end furniture, on the other hand, your focus would be better honed in on SEO and online ads.
Don’t try to capture attention from everywhere. Know where you’re going to get it first.
Ben is always alert to new trends in ecommerce. He says it’s not long before we see the end of 3rd party cookies. Octane AI is paving the way for Zero Party Data and innovative data collection and customer personalization tools.
Octane AI is always evolving. On the 14th of July 2021, Octane AI announced a brand new feature: Conversational Pop-ups. These integrate with Octane AI’s Shop Quiz tool to create an interactive pop-up that gathers additional customer data and recommends products.
It’s really no surprise that the Shopify Team voted Octane AI as the Best Store Front App. And that was before Conversational Pop-Ups!
Connect with Ben on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter; and visit Octane AI to supercharge your conversion rates.
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