Innovative Trend! The Infidelity of the Digital User towards brands: A strategic challenge for companies

In the marketplace a buyer is commonly called a “customer”. However, just like all innovations in the Administration field and other related areas and disciplines, the term has evolved, especially when entering the digital world and the so-called “4th Digital Transformation” specifically (also known as the Fourth Intelligent Industrial Revolution originating in Germany around 2011), moving forward vertiginously until its change into the “Digital User”.

We are living in the "Digital Transformation", which modifies the chain of value, logistics and supply chain of companies, and therefore, service, product distribution and customer service.

In general terms, we can also talk about the “Digital Consumer”, whose profile has been the object of study by businessmen, from the collective of researchers addressing the subject, and marketing agencies, among others, which has allowed it to be defined with greater certainty , know their main characteristics, as well as their consumption behavior, in order to provide organizations with accurate and useful information in this regard, to undertake actions that keep them captive and “delighted” with a particular brand.

While the user or consumer has always been the center of business (remembering the traditional phrases repeated by our ancestors business owners in this regard: "To the client, what they ask for", "The customer is number 1", or, "The client’s in charge"); nowadays, this reality has become a primary activity for companies, so it is imperative to meet their needs and keep them with total satisfaction regarding the product and/or service offered, precisely to please them with what is offered and with it, generate their loyalty.

Unfortunately, for a large number of companies the situation has been reverted; technological advances, including the use of various devices by the client, social networks, digital news outlets, instant communication over the internet, the implementation of newer technologies in organizations to maintain permanent contact with the consumer, and multiple novelties emerging day by day have induced a behavior in the user governed by immediacy and above all, by the unquestionable comfort of acquiring quality, trustworthy and timely information from the place where they are, even being able to compare a company with another, their offers, promotions, discounts, new locations, new services and innovative products, in itself, a whole world of possibilities has been opened for their choice, their taste and their entertainment, thus finding the satisfaction of all their needs, with a single click.

Thus, it has had to work on the profile of the new consumer, the new customer or the "Digital User"; because it's true: "If you don't know for sure who you work for, your real needs can never be met."

This is generating a change in organizations and leads them to the need to identify the new profile of the buyer and to strive in terms of training staff to meet these needs and desires, mainly those not covered today as they are prepared both managers and staff in the way of attending to and following up the “Digital User”, without harassing or harassing it, thus preventing them from fleeing our store or business due to the insistence and inadequate way of provoking a pleasant work experience, of on the contrary, they will continue to encounter one of the main characteristics of the technological evolution that derives in the “infidelity” of the new digital user towards a brand, a product and / or a service, being able to be unfaithful even TO THE WHOLE COMPANY.

The “infidelity of the digital user” constitutes a challenge to face strategically, therefore, how should organizations respond to this reality?

It is suffering organizationally from the "infidelity and disloyalty" of the buyer, regardless of the sector or type of business to which reference is made, but these may use some strategies to act accordingly and take innovative actions in response to their new behavior, understanding that they are people who have consumption habits for others other than the buyer of past years; Today, their purchases in large proportion are made through the internet and “… they are individuals with an average age of between 30 and 45 years, with a medium, medium high and high socioeconomic level, and who live mainly in cities of more than 100,000 inhabitants.” (Camara de Comercio de Valencia, 2019)

Here I share the main features of the current Profile of the “New Digital User”, and in which we find that: 

Are…

• Proactive: (share information among digital users)

• Hyperconnected in real time

• Informed (they are up to date with the events in their environment)

• Social (by interacting permanently in networks)

• Impatient: they seek immediate gratification

• Demanding and “unfaithful” (they demand that there be less errors and better quality from companies, from initial attention to possible repurchase)

• Multitasking (they have less concentration and attention in general, by constantly reviewing the various networks simultaneously)

Looking for…

• More experiences

• Honesty

• Trust

• Personalized attention

• Information

• Useful products and services

• Immediacy: be heard and answered almost instantly

• Multichannel / Omnichannel

• Fulfillment of the brand promise, affinity and interaction with it. (Unión Europea, Cámara de      

        Comercio de España y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, 2019).

With these characteristics, we confirm that you have to "start at the beginning", taking concrete steps so that companies are truly attending to the new Digital User, so I recommend you start with the following strategic actions, whose focus should always be on those characteristics of the new profile:

a) Measure the current level of technology acquired to date to provide quality care to our client.

b) Make a “Road Map” with the goal of digital transformation desired and that leads us to reach the user.

c) Establish the current GAP, that is, honestly determine the gap between the current goal and the expected goal in digital terms, and in which it must be recognized when no special efforts have been made in this regard.

d) Prepare the “Digitalization Plan” that facilitates the relevant strategies directed not only towards attention, but above all towards the loyalty of the new user, so that he prefers our brand and that his consumption habit is of loyalty towards it.

After the analysis of the current situation in which the company is in terms of digitalization and focused on the “Digital User”, other strategies that allow the organization to remain in the market must be formulated, and we will talk about this in a next article, to guide you in those actions that are fundamental to achieve it.

Once this step has been taken and knowing the moment the company is living in the technological field, it will be possible to make a good marketing that promotes the interest of the digital user to meet their requirements, so you must work in a committed way in the knowing who you are, what you want, what you consider most important and in general knowing what your real needs are, sticking as close as possible to your current profile, to achieve your loyalty.

References:

·     Cámara de Comercio de Valencia. (2019). ¿Cómo es el perfil del consumidor digital? Recuperado de https://www.mastermarketing-valencia.com/marketing-digital/perfil-aspirante/

·     Unión Europea, Cámara de Comercio de España y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional. (2019). España Empresa Digital. Guía básica para la transformación digital de la Pyme. Recuperado de https://empresadigital.camara.es/sites/empresadigital.camara.es/files/generica/guia_espana_empresa_digital_1.pdf