Digital Consumer Behavior & Influences | Digital Marketing

Diana Grytsku/Shutterstock From Digital Consumer to Digital Customer and Beyond T oday’s digital consumer expects a prompt complex set of processes that digital marketers and great experience. Digital marketers must navigate carefully. are charged with managing c...

Diana Grytsku/Shutterstock From Digital Consumer to Digital Customer and Beyond T oday’s digital consumer expects a prompt complex set of processes that digital marketers and great experience. Digital marketers must navigate carefully. are charged with managing consumers’ Organizations such as Amazon, Walmart, and perceptions and experiences as they navigate many others recognize the importance of under- buying decisions. Digital marketers must also standing consumer behavior and managing manage existing customers by ensuring they are customer relationships and experiences. They satisfied with their purchase and come back to spend much time analyzing consumer and buy again, buy more, or continue subscribing to a customer data to constantly evolve their services. service. Consumers are influenced by many fac- They understand the digital behaviors of tors and take distinct steps during their decision consumers and adapt to changing needs and process. In addition, as digital marketers know all demands of customers. They strive to know their too well, consumers and customers have various customers well—what they buy, when they buy, avenues to express satisfaction and dissatisfac- and what their interests are. This information helps tion during and after the purchasing process. them to provide more personalized services and Understanding digital consumer behavior and recommendations and creates value for customers helping them convert into a digital customer is a and organizations. 62 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT LO 3-1 Define digital consumer Digital Consumer Behavior and Influences behavior and digital This chapter serves as an introduction to digital consumer behavior, the consumer’s influences. journey to becoming a customer, and how customer relationships and experiences may be built and enhanced. For each type of digital marketing, the chapters that follow will delve further into these concepts. For example, Chapter 4 covers website-related consumer behavior, relationships, and experience management. Chapter 3 is intended to get you started with essential concepts in these areas. Who Is the Digital Consumer? There is no doubt that digital shopping plays a greater role today than in years past.1 Consumers today have both limited time and high expectations for quick answers and resolutions to their needs and wants.2 They have access to a variety of digital channels from which they may obtain and receive information, compare, and be marketed to. A digital consumer is one who uses electronic means to obtain products and services. Sometimes the term digital consumer is used interchangeably with the term digital customer, although these terms have distinct meanings. Technically, a customer is one who purchases a product, service, or offering of an organization, whereas a consumer is one who uses or consumes it. For example, a parent may purchase an online service for their child, and it is the child who will use the service. In that case, the parent is the digital customer, and the child is the digital consumer. Many consumers prefer to purchase online due to the various benefits online purchas- ing provides. The convenience of seeing a product online, reviewing it, and purchasing with a few clicks is very enticing to some. Other reasons include the fact that they can do research, make comparisons, and check prices quite easily online. For example, some consumers in the market to purchase a vehicle might consider buying it online due to the ability to review features, compare prices across dealers or businesses, take one’s time to understand and compare vehicles, and do all of this activity conveniently from home. However, some consumers would not even think of making a vehicle purchase online and must see, touch, and test-drive a vehicle before purchasing. Yet others may use a mix of methodologies, such as physical and digital channels. At the same time, some products, such as electronics, are regularly purchased online. Ultimately, whether specific consum- ers prefer to buy online will depend on factors such as convenience, trust, influences, and comfort with the process. Therefore, there may be a number of influences and methods that digital marketers need to be familiar with. Modern digital consumers expect to be assisted with their needs, wants, and transactions on an expedient basis. When digital marketers or the systems they employ know the consumer, the digital consumer may receive personalized experiences, shopping experiences tailored specifically for them. These experiences may feel relevant to their needs. Both the personalized experiences and the relevance may increase revenue and improve the customer experience.3 Organizations use algorithms to know more about consumers and provide recommendations that are greatly personalized and useful to consumers.4 Organi- zations should also be cognizant of the fact that consumers expect great experiences across various digital channels.5 Digital Consumer Behavior When consumers are influenced by various content they find online, they are motivated to act. A consumer may come across a product of interest, such as a unique piece of furniture, through exposure to a social media ad or influencer, enter a Google search to learn more,  Digital Consumer Behavior and Influences 63 compare prices across websites, and ultimately purchase through Amazon. To use the product, they might engage with an instructional video on the seller’s website and maybe even head over to YouTube for additional information or perspectives. The term digital consumer behavior refers to all of the procedures adopted by consumers in an online con- text when searching, selecting, buying, using, and even discarding products and services secured through digital channels.6 Understanding the digital behaviors of consumers enables digital marketers to meet consumers’ needs during the process. Some key considerations to understanding digital consumer behavior include the actions taken by consumers when purchasing products and services, the process through which consumers make decisions online, and the types of buyers, all of which are discussed in this chapter. Digital convenience involves consumers’ ability to search for, view, and compare information on products and services online, to complete purchases, and to do this at any time and through any device.7 Digital convenience is a major factor for consumers. It therefore is important for digital marketers to understand digital consumer behavior with regard to the various factors of digital convenience—time of browsing, purchasing, and engagement with digital marketing, as well as the devices used to engage in such activities. Full understanding of digital convenience enables digital marketers to tailor their marketing to such times and devices. Another aspect of digital consumer behavior is the desire of some consumers for per- sonalized experiences. Such personalization involves tailoring offerings and marketing to personal consumer interests and experiences.8 To personalize consumer experiences, digital marketers do digital monitoring of consumer behavior, using various technical mechanisms to track and review consumer activity online. For example, organizations might track a customer’s activity while logged into the organization’s website. Interactions with smart devices are also on the rise: Smart speakers, smart watches, and smart vehicles are a few examples of devices and products with which consumers interact. Digital marketers may track consumer behavior such as searches, interests, shopping, and travel activity through such devices in order to provide personalized experiences. Influences on the Digital Consumer Digital consumers may be affected by any number of influences. One of those is digital culture, along with the group influences that contribute to that culture. Digital culture involves “knowledge, beliefs, and practices” of consumers in an online context, which may or may not be different from those in an offline context.9 Digital culture may be an important factor that plays a role in consumer behavior, and digital marketing conducted by an organi- zation must be adjusted according to differences in such culture.10 Digital group influences are norms accepted within or beliefs held by an online group and may play a role in decisions by digital consumers.11 In fact, certain actions by consumers may be solely or heavily based on actions by a group with which the consumer is associated. For example, if an online group is discussing positive experiences with a product, such as a particular item at a fast-food restaurant, a consumer who is part of that group may be influenced to purchase that item. Another influence on digital consumers is technology. It has changed the behaviors of consumers and the way they consume.12 Consumers increasingly rely upon mobile devices to engage with brands and make purchases, and modern technologies may provide some level of automation in terms of consumer decision making. Even smart-connected products are affecting the decision process that consumers go through.13 For example, smart products connected to smart devices can track consumer’s digital behaviors, interests, and actions across these devices and products and provide recommendations based on these. 64 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Demographics of digital shoppers are also important. Two demographic groups in ­ articular—those with high income and millennials—are increasingly spending online for p both “essential” as well as “nonessential” products. They are often willing to complete dig- ital purchases for products they want to have, sometimes with little thinking or on an impulse. Yet at the same time, consumers increasingly want to ensure that they obtain value for their spend, especially for items they need.14 Increasingly, digital influencers are having an impact. They are humans or technological personas who affect a consumer’s buying decision by virtue of their fame, Internet pres- ence, position, recognition, or other factor.15 These influencers might digitally motivate consumers to engage in a desired action or help them to advance through the conversion process. Digital influencers therefore can be key for digital marketers to create value and reach their goals.16 The box Digital Marketing Value Creation provides an example. In addition to content provided by influencers like Huda Kattan, studies show that positive shared stories about consumers’ experiences can have an affirmative impact in digital marketing.17 Consumers can be greatly influenced by others’ stories and the impact a product or service has had on them. This impact may involve the process of a consumer encoding information into memory, storing or keeping this information within memory, and retrieving it by accessing it from memory because it resonated with them.18 An MIT study shows the importance of storytelling. In a social media test environment, the study used a video that introduced an avid vintage BMW 3 series collector. By collect- ing and measuring data on consumer preferences and their attitudes prior to and after showing the video, the study found that stories greatly improve a consumer’s website engagement. Those stories that come from consumers themselves may express cultural norms and values and are particularly influential.19 This sharing provides value to organi- zations that use these stories in their digital marketing. It also provides value to consumers who read the stories by helping them to envision the product or service. Vladimka production/Shutterstock Digital marketers want to have things “go viral” among relevant consumers. When applied to the Internet, viral means relating to or involving an image, video, or piece of information that is circulated rapidly and widely on the Internet. Digital marketers seek to create digital marketing that consumers talk about, share, and/or otherwise promote to relatively  Digital Consumer Behavior and Influences 65 Digital Marketing Value Creation Social Media Influencers With more than 50 million followers on Instagram, Huda Kattan is a makeup artist and blogger and posts relevant content for followers. Some of her content shows products being used in action, some provides tips and tricks, and some provides updates. Huda Beauty’s Instagram has more than 50 million followers and has tips, tricks, and updates Huda Beauty On her YouTube channel, Huda shares her makeup business story through a video of her speaking at the Forbes Powerful Women’s Summit and posts a variety of content through this channel. Huda shares her makeup business story through the Huda Beauty YouTube Channel Huda Beauty These various pieces of content can be attractive to consumers and influence their purchase decisions, thus creating value for consumers and for the products being shown. 66 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT high levels. This strategy may be a low-cost avenue to garner much attention, promotional capital, and brand value. Michal Dubin, founder of the Dollar Shave Club, decided to feature himself in a 2012 ad promoting the company’s razor blades as being “F***ing Great.” The video is humorous and grabs consumer attention throughout; it has over 27 million views on YouTube.20 Its popularity among viewers demonstrates that the ad, despite its raw language, fit within the norms of the digital Dollar Shave Club’s “Our group to which it was aimed. Blades Are F***ing Great” However, not all brands will want to take a lighthearted approach, for fear of turning off goes viral consumers. A humorous approach worked for the Dollar Shave Club, but it may not be Dollar Shave Club appropriate for other organizations—such as a health care company with products that solve serious medical issues. Nevertheless, digital marketers need to assess the potential and the risk for consumer acceptance. As detailed in the box Digital Marketing Value Creation, Jonah Berger proposed a model that helps digital marketers figure out when consumers are likely to be influenced by social norms and digital culture, and when they are likely to share content. Digital Marketing Value Creation The STEPPS Model Could Lead to Talking and Sharing in a Consumer Context Jonah Berger came up with six steps—with the acronym STEPPS—that encourage consumers to “talk and share.” These factors may influence consumers to chat more about or share information on products, services, brands, or experiences. Social currency: Consumer wants to look good in social settings and may talk and share if it makes them look good. Triggers: Something on the top of consumers’ minds may be more likely to be talked about or shared. Ease for emotion: When consumers feel strongly about something, they may feel more at ease about sharing those emotions. Public: If others are doing something, consumers may be more likely to do the same. Practical value: If a consumer feels they or others may use certain information, they may be more likely to talk about it or share. Stories: Seeing others’ shared stories may influence consumers to share. Source: Jonah Berger, Contagious: Why Things Catch On (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2016), https://knowledge.wharton. upenn.edu/article/contagious-jonah-berger-on-why-things-catch-on/.  Digital Conversion Funnel 67 Understanding the digital behaviors of consumers allows digital marketers to meet con- sumers’ needs during the stages a potential customer may go through to arrive at a digital purchase decision. Some key factors to consider in order to understand digital consumer behavior include the actions taken by consumers when purchasing products and services, the process through which consumers make decisions online, and the types of buyers, all of which are discussed in this chapter. Digital Conversion Funnel LO 3-2 Explain the components of The psychology of buying and selling, and how to affect those processes, has long been a a digital conversion funnel. topic of study. In 1898 St. Elmo Lewis introduced the AIDA model, which identifies the stages that individuals go through in the process of purchasing a product: Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action. Shaped like a funnel, with awareness at the top, the model portrays the narrowing of the number of consumers as they progress from awareness to action. The AIDA model has long been used as a basic model in advertising and marketing. There are numerous versions of the funnel, each emphasizing various stages.21 For purposes of this course, we will use an AIDA-based digital conversion funnel that identifies the stages a potential customer may go through to progress from awareness and eventually arrive at a digital purchase decision and beyond.22 See Exhibit 3-1. Here’s what occurs at the various stages of the digital conversion funnel: In the awareness stage, the consumer becomes aware of a brand or its products or services through a digital channel. At this stage, the consumer may have come across information or a digital ad and has been exposed to specific digital marketing. When the consumer enters the interest stage, they may visit the organization’s website, click on an ad, or conduct some additional review. In the desire stage, the consumer wishes to take next steps, has the ability to do so, and seeks more information. The consumer may look further into the product or service; get information about how to order the product, its price, and shipping Exhibit 3-1 Digital Awareness Ad view, social media page view, blog post read, article read, video view Digital Conversion Funnel (Digital AIDA Model) Digital Interest Source: Adapted from Edward Kellogg Strong, The Psychology of Website visit, search ad click, social media ad click, Selling and Advertising (New York: mobile app download, further online search and review McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1925), p. 325. Digital Desire Feature review, try, how to get, shipping costs, chat Digital Action CTA, subscribe, buy, download 68 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT details; chat with the organization about buying; or even try the product. In the action stage, the consumer pays, signs up, downloads, or takes other desired action. The consumer might purchase the product or service, subscribe to a newsletter, or download an app. Digital Conversion Funnel in Action For deeper understanding, let’s look at two examples of the digital conversion funnel in action. In the first example, Seema sees a Facebook ad marketing a new Samsung Smart TV. She becomes MikeDotta/Shutterstock aware of the new TV and some of its key smart features through a visit to Samsung’s website; she watches a video, to which she takes a liking. She conducts a further search on the website to learn more details about its features, at which point she gains higher interest in the product. She checks on the price and shipping options. Seema then chats with an AI chatbot for a bit before requesting transfer to a live customer service representative. She asks questions about the product and is satisfied with the answers, at which point she develops the desire to buy. She places the smart TV in her shop- ping cart and enters her details and credit card and awaits two-day product arrival. Now let’s consider a second example, in which the conversion process did not go so easily for Seema. Although she became aware of the new Samsung Smart TV through a Facebook ad, suppose she did not take immediate interest. However, the ad prompted Seema to start considering that she may need or want a new smart TV. Later in the week, she comes across another ad for the same TV. This prompts her to perform a Google search for new smart TVs. That search results in a variety of ads and search results for many smart TVs from various companies. As her interest is piqued with what the market has to offer, Seema narrows down to three potential smart TVs. She is then distracted by an email that came in from her employer; she puts aside her quest for a new smart TV and focuses on work. Some days later, while conducting a Google search for another item, she comes across an ad for yet another smart TV she had not heard of and of which she now becomes aware. After clicking the new ad and searching further on the organization’s website, she is convinced that she prefers this new model and Tashatuvango/Shutterstock trstr/Shutterstock  Digital Marketing Consumer Decision-Making Process 69 develops an interest in it. However, she is not sure where, in her apartment, the TV would best be installed. This leads her not to continue with the pro- cess at this time. One evening while watching a show on her traditional TV, she realizes how great the features of a smart TV would be. She picks up her mobile device and resumes where she left off with the last smart TV she was looking into (since she remembered the brand and model). Her desire is increased when she reviews the features of the smart TV and checks out pricing. However, she is disap- pointed to realize that shipping will take 21 days. She now returns to the earlier smart TV choices and finds one that has similar features to the one she has Prostock-studio/Shutterstock now lost desire in due to the lengthy shipping time frame. Her desire is renewed when she chats with a sales representative who offers her a coupon code for free, fast shipping. She takes action to immediately place the order online and is elated when the smart TV arrives two days later. This trajectory from the Facebook ad to the final purchase shows that customers may move through the funnel in different ways. It is crucial to understand their behavior during the decision-making process. Digital Marketing Consumer LO 3-3 Analyze the digital consumer Decision-Making Process decision-making process. Digital marketing may greatly affect the digital consumer decision-making process—the process that most digital consumers will go through as they make decisions about which products and services they will purchase. The typical process is shown in Exhibit 3-2. Note that the process might not happen all at once, and consumers might engage in the process across different devices. The decision-making process takes places as follows:23 Recognition: Digital consumers may first recognize an issue or problem they wish or need to resolve. This could be a product they need, such as medication, or a product or service they want, such as a vacation package. The recognition of an issue or Recognizes a problem or issue Exhibit 3-2 Digital Consumer Decision-Making Does a digital search on one or more devices Process Source: Adapted from David Mothersbaugh, Del Hawkins, and Susan Kleiser, Consumer Behavior: Digitally evaluates alternatives Building Marketing Strategy, 14th ed. (New York: McGraw Hill, 2020), pp. 484–85. Makes a choice and completes the purchase digitally Assesses the product or service after the purchase 70 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT problem may potentially arise from a number of digital channels, such as an ad, a social media post, a blog article, a search ad, a mobile app, or other channel. Search: Digital consumers might then conduct an online search to find a product or service that may resolve that issue or problem. The search might be performed using search engines, social media, or other sources. Evaluation: Digital consumers might then evaluate alternatives online, narrowing down their possible choices. A number of possible online sources, such as informa- tional websites or social media, can help with such evaluation. Consumers may possibly listen to or be influenced by what others are saying online, or they may review and come to their own conclusions as to what is accurate. Choice and purchase: If satisfied, or if value is perceived, consumers may make a choice and purchase online. This decision may stem from a number of criteria used by the consumer to reach their conclusion, such as price, quality, brand, or other factors. Assessment: When the product arrives or is picked up, the consumer will assess the product or service after the purchase. After purchase, a consumer may be satisfied if their perceived expectations were met or dissatisfied if they were not. Even better, the product may have gone beyond their expectations, and the consumer may be “delighted” with the purchase. In this case, consumers may be likely to come back, purchase again, refer the product to others, and trust the brand.24 This can lead to greater loyalty and retention. The consumer decision-making process might not happen in the order of stages set out in Figure 3-2. It may also be that a consumer will go through the process across various devices or digital marketing methods. Digital marketing plays a key role in the customer journey—the path a customer takes from preliminary interaction to purchase and beyond. Digital marketing should be involved at all customer touch points, moments of interaction between the consumer and the organi- zation and its marketing efforts.25 For example, if a consumer clicks on a search ad, arrives on a website, puts an item into the shopping cart, and chats with the AI chatbot to get a question answered before making a purchase on the website, each of these will be consid- ered customer touchpoints. During the decision-making process, digital marketers may track and review digital consumer behavior such as online searches, purchases, and social media and mobile app activity. Such tracking can provide customer insights, information about customers’ thoughts and preferences, which may be collected from various digital sources. These insights are ever so important in a digital age in which being focused on customers is Benedek Alpar/Shutterstock crucial and should be used to improve digital market- ing decisions.26 Digital Consumer Decision-Making Process in Action To see the consumer decision-making process in action, let’s continue with the earlier example of Seema, who wants to buy a new TV set: Seema first recognizes a problem based on her current traditional TV not serving her needs (rather than recognizing this through digital forms of advertising).  Digital Buyer Persona 71 Her frustration with the limited value of her traditional TV prompts her to conduct an online search through people’s opinions on social media and blogs about smart TVs. After compiling a list, she evaluates alternatives online using Google and Bing. She verifies her understanding of alternatives using social media and reviews by consumers who have purchased specific smart TVs in which she is interested. Her main evaluation criteria are price and quality. Seema is very price sensitive, and as a result she wants to obtain the best possible deal for the quality smart TV she prefers, which requires her to compare prices at various online retailers. When Seema finds an online retailer offering a promotion that resonates with her, she makes a choice to purchase online through this specific retailer. After the smart TV arrives, she opens the box to find that there are numerous parts, and it may take hours for her to set it up. As she assesses the product after purchase, she is upset that this was not explained during the purchase process. She contacts an online customer service representative, who is willing to walk her through basic steps to put together the TV and its components. Not satisfied, Seema decides that she will return the product, and the customer service representative generates a return label for free shipping back to the company. This is an example of how important it is that all aspects of the process should meet the expectations of the customer to be successful beyond just the sale of a product or service. It might be that digital consumers won’t purchase in the first instance in which they engage with an organization’s digital marketing. A retargeting strategy may be appropriate, in which an organization for a second or subsequent time presents to a consumer ads pertinent to what they were perusing, such as on an organization’s website. Digital marketers might also use affiliate marketing to increase sales. This strategy involves engaging an affiliate (such as another website operator), usually through a commission or reimbursement-based model, whereby the affiliate gets paid for customers referred.27 These concepts may be important to the consumer decision-making process and will be explored further in later chapters. Digital Buyer Persona LO 3-4 Analyze the components of Digital marketers may also benefit from creating a digital buyer persona, which is a draft of a digital buyer persona. what an organization knows about its target consumers. Building a digital buyer persona will allow digital marketers to better understand consumers and may lead to increased insights and informed marketing decision making.28 The persona is based on an organization’s target market, and even though it is not an outline of a real customer, it reflects current or sought-after customers.29 These personas help to “identify similar patterns of behavior that result in commonly held goals.”30 They enable digital marketers to focus on prospective consumers and their perspectives, which assists with targeting effectively.31 A digital buyer persona can help refine not only digital marketing efforts but also an organization’s offerings. A digital buyer persona consists of key details an organization knows about its target consumers. These include demographic variables, customers’ goals and frustrations, and preferred technology/channels.32 Exhibit 3-3 shows some key consid- erations in building a buyer persona. Building a persona should not be done in a way that limits target marketing. The persona should not be so detailed that much of the target market does not share its charac- teristics. However, it is likely that not all of the target market will have the exact characteristics identified.33 It is also appropriate to build personas for different offerings of an organization. 72 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Exhibit 3-3 1 Name of persona Digital Buyer Persona Elements Sources: “The Beginner’s Guide 2 Occupation or status to Defining Buyer Personas,” https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/ blog/the-beginners-guide-to- defining-buyer-personas; “What’s in a Name? Creating Personas for Digital 3 Demographic data Marketing,” https://www.gartner.com/ en/marketing/insights/articles/whats- in-a-name-creating-personas-for- digital-marketing; “How to Create a Digital 4 Geographic data Buyer Persona,” https://blog.hootsuite. Buyer com/buyer-persona/; Philip Kotler and Kevin L. Keller, Marketing Persona Management, 15th ed. (Upper Saddle Elements River, NJ: Pearson, 2016). 5 Psychographic data 6 Behavioral data 7 Goals and values 8 Problems looking to solve Different tools and templates are available to help digital marketers create buyer perso- nas. The template in Exhibit 3-4 represents an example of a buyer persona for a healthy breakfast product. Understanding a consumer’s goals, what their challenges are, the tech- nology they use, their personality, and their motivations will help digital marketers to tailor their marketing to them. Exhibit 3-4 is just one example of a digital buyer persona and includes a variety of factors. The number of personas that will need to be created will depend on the nature of the organization and what it offers. For some organizations, many buyer personas may be necessary, and products may even be tailored to each of these personas. A buyer per- sona helps the organization to understand each type of consumer and their goals. John has a need for an on-the-go solution to his limited-time needs. He is motivated by convenience and quality. A personalized solution and money are not necessarily a major consideration, since he has a disposable income that may support a higher-end blender purchase. Knowing more about John’s personality will help digital marketers tailor messaging and communication. Consumers with different personalities and motivation may behave differently because of these factors; however, their goal may be similar, and digital marketers will need to adjust accordingly. The digital buyer persona can also be used to help determine which digital channels may be most appropriate to reach target consumers. This is because consumers may behave differently across devices: Some consumers may like to purchase only from a desktop computer, whereas others will regularly purchase from their smartphones. Reiterating how the organization serves goals helps to ensure that the offering is in line with consumer goals. A different view of digital buyer personas is the concept of bring your own persona (BYOP), which is the idea that, instead of people showing patterned, predictable behaviors  Digital Buyer Persona 73 Exhibit 3-4 Digital Buyer Persona Template for a Healthy Breakfast Product NAME: JOHN CHAN AGE: 46 IDENTIFYING GENDER: MALE LOCATION: JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA OCCUPATION/STATUS: LAWYER, $150K, UPPER MIDDLE CLASS PROPERTY: SINGLE-FAMILY HOME VALUES: HEALTH, WORK, FAMILY, STATUS “I want a fast, healthy breakfast on the go.” Photo: mavo/Shutterstock Personality: Goals: Loyal, Debater, Counsellor Need for healthy to-go breakfast option that doesn’t take a lot of time. Motivations: Convenience, Quality, Personalized Frustrations/Challenges: No time to eat in the morning, needs to get up and How We Serve Goals: go, often needing to prepare for a trial, meet clients, Our Ascent Series Blenders offer: or review legal documents. “State-of-the-art design with power and precision” Technology Mix/Channels: “High-performance” Email “Wireless connectivity” Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Blogs “Programmable” to save time Targeted Print “Ultimate convenience and versatility” Online professional journals “At home and on the go” Sources: Adapted from “How to Create and Reinforce Your Buyer Personas,” https://neilpatel.com/blog/create-reinforce-buyer-personas/; “How to Create a Buyer Persona,” https://blog.hootsuite. com/buyer-persona/; “How to Create Detailed Buyer Personas for Your Business,” https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/buyer-persona-research; “The Easy Guide to Creating a Buyer Persona,” https://creately.com/blog/diagrams/how-to-create-a-buyer-persona/; and https://blog.alexa.com/10-buyer-persona-examples-help-create/. that can be segmented into targeted buyer personas, consumers bring their own different levels of digital comfort to the buying process. BYOP does categorize digital consumers somewhat, based on their digital capability (limited to advanced) and the trust or extent to which they share their data (low or high). Some are very digital-savvy, while others are not. At the same time, some consumers have a higher level of trust when sharing their data, while others are very cautious. For example, a consumer who is not digital-savvy may have a high amount of trust and share personal information easily; however, this can vary widely, and can even be the opposite.34 Digital marketers must be ready to recognize and adjust to various buyer personas in order to remain relevant and successful. Over time, digital savviness is changing, and more and more consumers are becoming aware of privacy considerations, as the box Privacy and Security Considerations in Digital Marketing discusses. 74 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Privacy and Security Considerations in Digital Marketing Consumers and Their Data Different consumers attach different value to their data and its privacy. At times this value may differ based on the circumstance, device, type of data, brand, and other factors. Organizations that collect consumers’ private data need to consider the data they collect, what it may be used for, how to store it, and when it may be deleted. Consider two consumers: one who has strong digital capability and high trust in sharing their data, and one who has low digital capability and low trust in sharing their data. As a digital marketer, how would these differences inform your strategy toward these consumers? By carefully considering factors related to privacy and security, organizations may employ a strategy that benefits consumers. More on this topic is discussed in Chapter 11. LO 3-5 Explain how organizations Digital Customer Relationship Management can build relationships with Once digital marketers understand their target consumers, they can start to build and digital consumers and customers. maintain relationships with them. Digital customer relationships are long-term, profitable interactions that organizations establish with their digital consumers. Strategically building such relationships with both consumers and existing customers enhances customer loyalty and contributes to profitability.35 These relationships may be built with the assistance of digital customer relationship management (CRM), which includes all the processes by which an organization connects and bonds with customers. CRM systems often help digital marketers manage these rela- tionships.36 These software systems use customer data to build relationships and provide personalized experiences to customers.37 The CRM system may record important customer interactions at various touch points and engagement with the organization’s digital marketing.38 It may include various applications and databases that record customer data. For example, it will likely include basic information such as name, email address, phone number, address, and other such data. It may include some or all of the interactions the customer has had with the organization and its digital assets, such as website account activity, engaging with email promotions, making purchases, and chats with customer service. Such information can provide great customer insights and assist with making digital marketing decisions, as they can lead to marketing intelligence. Managing digital customer relationships is paramount in digital marketing and is key to success. It helps organizations to digitally provide value to customers in ways that are useful to them. It creates a connection between customers and the organizations and encourages further interaction between them. Building great customer relationships can help to improve customer lifetime value (CLV), which is the current value of all profit anticipated from one customer during the entire time they are a customer of the organization.39 In digital marketing, the CLV is important because the organization wishes the customer to come back and continue to purchase. Amazon, for example, is interested in long-term cus- tomers who purchase through its digital channels over a long period of time, even if some of its sales are attributed to third-party sellers.40  Digital Customer Relationship Management 75 Digital Marketing Value Creation Deloitte: Digital CRM 2.0 According to a study by Deloitte, four key forces are altering the environment in which business operates: 1. Changing customers: Because time is scarce and customer technical skills are enhanced, customers want things now. There is a battle waging among digital marketers for consumers’ “eyeballs” in many aspects of consumers’ lives. 2. New business models: Freemium, pay-per-use, and low-cost subscription models require continuous engagement. 3. Technology advances: A number of advanced technologies, including advanced digital CRM systems, enable more effective customer engagement. 4. Desire for transparency: Marketers need to be transparent about the results of marketing spend and provide analytics to support that spending. Using a digital CRM system, digital marketers may be able to glean data from the habits of customers engaging with the organization’s digital assets and know what type of engagement they prefer. A CRM system can help organizations compete with, or even help with decisions to adopt, new business models, especially if the data show what consumers prefer or demand. The continual advances in technol- ogy mean that digital marketers can understand consumers in much more detailed ways. Through digital CRM systems, digital marketers also have at their disposal various analytics that can be used to justify marketing spend. Source: “Digital CRM, 2.0,” www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/CMO/us-deloitte-digital-crm-study- 2.0-2019.pdf. The box Digital Marketing Value Creation describes the results of a study about building customer relationships in the current digital landscape. Providing the best possible customer service may also lead to high customer satisfaction, which is the degree to which a customer is content with a product or service and the orga- nization’s customer service.41 CRM systems can help identify gaps in the satisfaction process, such as when a customer chats with customer service and rates that they are not satisfied with the service provided. If organizations actively seek out these gaps, they may ensure that the customer will be satisfied and keep coming back. A CRM system also can help with loyalty and retention. Loyalty is the feeling customers have when they not only prefer buying from an organization but also continue purchasing despite the marketing strategies of a competitive product.42 A positive customer experience may lead to increased digital engagement, which in turn can increase loyalty and sales. Retention is essentially keeping customers or keeping them coming back. With potentially high costs of acquiring customers, streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, for example, must take calculated steps to retain customers. Digital marketing can be a key factor in customer retention efforts, and to do this effectively, digital marketers must con- tinue to provide an exceptional customer experience and ongoing value. As seen in the Digital Marketing Value Creation box nearby, there are a number of digital CRM systems that digital marketers can use. 76 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Digital Marketing Value Creation CRM Systems in Practice There are many types of digital CRM systems for business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), and others. Many CRM systems are cloud-based. Some are free, with basic capabilities intended for small organizations; others are paid and provide large-enterprise solutions. Salesforce’s Customer 360 system is an example of a CRM system that provides a view of many aspects of the customer’s relations with an organization. For exam- ple, it includes marketing, sales, service, commerce, analytics, success, partner, sustainability, and various other aspects relevant to the customer relationship. It records crucial data and provides analytics relevant to maintaining and enhancing those relationships. Integration with AI allows for deeper insights generated through the CRM system. Gaming company Activision, for example, uses Salesforce Marketing Cloud to review conversations happening on social media pertinent to its gaming products. Sundry Photography/Shutterstock Another CRM example is HubSpot, which offers both free and enterprise solu- tions. For example, the system will notify digital marketers when emails are opened by potential customers, enables connection with consumers, and provides various tracking and scheduling capabilities. monticello/Shutterstock  Digital Customer Relationship Management 77 Zoho CRM allows for a connection to customers across various channels, pro- vides a notification when customers are interacting with the organization, has an AI sales assistant, and provides various reports. monticello/Shutterstock Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience supports marketing, sales, service, and customer experiences. Most CRMs provide basic to advanced levels of analyt- ics, which can help digital marketers pivot and adjust their efforts as needed. ricochet64/Shutterstock There are numerous other digital CRM systems, and choosing among them will be based on various factors. The features, price, accessibility, ease of use, com­ patibility, and customization possibilities are some of the potential factors that may be considered when selecting a digital CRM system for an organization. Sources: “Unite Your Teams around the Customer,” Salesforce, accessed December 2021, www.salesforce.com/products/; “Innovate and Automate Fast with AI across Salesforce,” Salesforce, accessed December 2021, www.salesforce.com/ products/einstein/overview/?d=cta-body-promo-24; “Four Examples of Businesses Using CRM to Improve Productivity and Efficiency,” Salesforce, accessed December 2021, www.salesforce.com/crm/examples/; “Free CRM Software with Something for Everyone,” Hubspot, accessed December 2021, www.hubspot.com/products/crm; “The Gold Standard for Great Customer Relationships,” Zoho, accessed December 2021, www.zoho.com/crm/; “Advertising and Customer Experience (CX),” Oracle, accessed December 2021, www.oracle.com/cx/. 78 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT LO 3-6 Explain concepts relating to Digital Customer Experience (DCX) Management managing a good digital A CRM system can help organizations provide an exceptional customer experience. customer experience. Customer experience (CX) is the entirety of the relationship between a customer and an organization. It encompasses every interaction, however brief, that affects a customer’s perception of the organization. Focusing on the customer’s total experience may help to enhance customers’ satisfaction and keep them coming back.43 When the customer experience takes place mainly through digital means, we refer to it as digital customer experience (DCX). The goal of DCX management is to provide a great overall customer experience and to increase satisfaction and loyalty in digital settings.44 Companies that actively employ a CX outlook report 4 percent to 8 percent greater revenue as compared to companies in their industry that do not.45 Digital marketers should strive to provide an exceptional DCX across customer touch points.46 A great experience can add value for consumers, advance them through the conversion process, and allow them to associate the organization with a positive experience. DCX platform GetFeedback enables digital marketers to collect feedback from consumers on their website by reading their emails or engaging with them in chat. Such feedback can enhance the digital customer experience.47 However, simply moving customer relationship management to digital means is not suf- ficient to satisfy digital customer experience needs.48 Rather, consumers need to be given exceptional digital consumer experiences throughout their journey. Doing so may involve a number of elements and considerations that span different subject areas, such as design, psychology, and marketing. This chapter has briefly introduced key concepts and tools relating to DCX. Those DCX concepts and tools will be applied to various aspects of digital marketing in later relevant chapters. User Experience (UX) User experience (UX), an aspect of CX, is how digital marketing (such as a website) “feels” for consumers and how engaging and usable it is.49 It involves what the consumer feels, thinks, and senses and the actions they take when interacting and engaging with digital activities of an organization.50 Typically, user experience includes a specific interaction between organization and consumer, such as being able to find information or process a return easily.51 In digital marketing, UX plays a key role in the experience of customers and may enhance conversion. The box Digital Marketing Value Creation discusses how user experience creates value for consumers and organizations. Some UX Design Principles Many design principles govern UX design, and here digital marketing borrows from the field of psychology. Jon Yablonski assembled some of these principles in what he termed the laws of UX—a set of general rules for designers when they create digital interfaces for consumers.52 One of these laws of UX is the aesthetic usability effect, which predicts that consumers may be more inclined to navigate digital content further and take desired actions when its design is perceived as pleasant and “more usable.”53 Unpleasant perceptions or experiences can lead visitors to bounce (leave the website or app). To enhance usability and UX, digital marketers may do various types of usability testing: Click testing to assess where consumers may first click while testing certain tasks. Preference testing to assess which design consumers may like best. Eye-tracking to assess where and how long a consumer looks at a screen.54  Digital Customer Experience (DCX) Management 79 Digital Marketing Value Creation The User Experience Honeycomb The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines UX under the standard ISO 9241-210:2019, “Ergonomics of Human-System Interaction,” as “user’s perceptions and responses that result from the use and/or anticipated use of a sys- User experience honeycomb tem, product or service.” Adapting this definition to the digital Useful marketing context, digital marketers can create value by providing the best possible UX Usable Desirable when consumers engage with digital market- Valuable ing. For example, digital marketers need to assess very carefully how consumers perceive Findable Accessible and respond to digital marketing. Information architect Peter Morville designed a model—the Credible user experience honeycomb—that shows key factors for digital marketers to consider and Source: “User Experience Design,” build into their digital marketing. http://semanticstudios.com/user_ The user experience factors are defined as experience_design/. follows: Useful: Digital marketing content should fulfill a consumer need. Usable: Websites and digital marketing must be easy to use. Desirable: Digital marketing images, identity, brand, and other design elements should evoke emotion and appreciation. Findable: Content needs to be navigable and locatable. Accessible: All consumers, regardless of ability, should be able to access and use the content. Credible: Consumers must trust digital marketing content and claims. Valuable: Digital marketing content which is not valuable will not be of use to consumers. These factors set a high bar to clear for effective UX. Clearing that bar creates value for consumers, who can be expected to engage deeper with digital market- ing from organizations that provide positive experiences. UX concentrates on a profound understanding of consumers, what they are looking for, what they may be able and willing to purchase, and any limitations they may have. In digital market- ing, knowing customers and how they perceive an organization’s products, ser- vices, or brand is crucial. Sources: https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:9241:-210:ed-2:v1:en; http://semanticstudios.com/user_experience_ design/; www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html; “User Experience Basics,” Usability.gov, accessed December 2021, www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html#:~:text=User%20experience%20(UX)%20 focuses%20on,abilities%2C%20and%20also%20their%20limitations.&text=UX%20best%20practices%20promote%20 improving,product%20and%20any%20related%20services. 80 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Hick’s law says that the time it takes for a consumer to make a decision increases with increased complexity of choice. To improve UX, there should not be an abundant or complicated set of choices, such as a disproportionate number of pages or options. Too much complexity of choice can result in increased time for consumer decision making, or the consumer may decide to disengage with the digital marketing effort altogether.55 For example, if a consumer arrives at a payment screen after finding what they need and is presented with many options (such as alternative products, add-on products, various shipping options, and/or other options or steps), the consumer might abandon the payment action. Keeping choices simple, by categorizing products, filtering unnecessary results, or limiting options, improves decision time. Under the Pareto principle, about 80 percent of effects can be attributed to 20 percent of the causes.56 Put another way, only 20 percent of digital marketing inclusions (such as website, mobile app, or social media elements) may be credited for 80 percent of conver- sions. Ensuring there is focus on key design elements in UX is more important than trying to perfect every single element all of the time. For example, ensuring that it is easy to find and buy products through an app may be more important than cluttering the app with a large number of features that are unlikely to be used. The Zeigarnik effect is that consumers remember incomplete or “interrupted tasks” more than ones that were completed.57 Thus, bad website, app, or social media experiences can disrupt or override good ones. For example, if there is a technical problem with placing an item into a cart or a problem navigating to a specific webpage or aspect of an app, con- sumers may feel frustrated and decide not to make a purchase or return to the site. Digital marketers must pay attention to both CX and UX when engaging in digital mar- keting. As shown nearby, Amazon provides effective options for customer service and pro- vides a good range of digital services, ranging from reviewing orders, getting a refund for a return, getting help with products, and other digital services. User Interface (UI) User interface (UI) is the interaction between humans and digital systems and devices. Amazon digital customer From a website marketing angle, the interface needs to be accessible and easy for consum- service ers to use and understand.58 Good UI design, then, requires that digital marketers Amazon.com, Inc  Digital Customer Experience (DCX) Management 81 understand what actions consumers may need to take when they engage with digital marketing. Making it easy for consumers to complete tasks and engage with digital marketing will provide a good experience, and the consumer may feel compelled to engage further. Difficulty in understanding how to complete a task will detract from the consumers’ overall experience. The interface should be designed in a way that helps con- sumers to interact, purchase, obtain service, or complete whichever action is being taken. Interaction Design (IxD) Interaction design (IxD), a part of UX, involves coordinated action among digital elements such as aesthetics, motion, sound, and space. It seeks to create aesthetically pleasing websites, apps, and other digital marketing, which may enhance the interaction a consumer has with these. Five dimensions of IxD are the use of words, visual representations, physical objects or space, time, and behavior.59 For example, careful use of words in social media marketing or on a website may enhance the chance that a consumer will take a desired action. Visually appealing mobile app icons might entice consumers to download an app. It would be counterproductive to have text and visual representations that conflict with each other or that do not interact well. Careful attention to IxD can improve the digital customer experience across digital channels. Information Architecture (IA) Information architecture (IA) is the structural design of shared information environments. IA involves combining systems by properly organizing elements, ensuring that they are accurately labeled, and helping consumers to navigate through them. Also, IA particularly supports two of the factors of the user experience honeycomb—usability and findability—to enhance the consumers’ digital experience.60 Peter Morville uses a Venn diagram to suggest that effective IA consists in the harmoni- ous coordination of three circles of IA—context, content, and users.61 In digital marketing, consumers are the users, the context includes the environment in which the consumers make decisions, and the content is the information provided through digital marketing. What each circle represents depends on the type of marketing: In social media marketing, one should consider the social context in which the consumer may make a decision, such as reviews and influence by others. In website marketing, site content should be created and organized in a way that makes it easy to access and navigate. For example, a disorganized website, social media page, or app may very well detract from the experience. Apps with low resolution and blurry images or websites that are difficult to navigate because of complex webpages where products are hard to find can detract from the consumer’s experience.62 Microanimation and Microinteraction The concepts of microanimation and microinteraction build on the idea that small is effective. Microanimation is the use of small images in digital marketing. These small images may help lead consumers through interactions or add playfulness within digital marketing.63 Microinteractions are small actions that consumers are encouraged to take in digital marketing assets. These include moments that allow visitors to accomplish tasks, click to engage in a task, adjust settings, or otherwise interact with a site, app, or other digital marketing.64 For example, an option to allow a consumer to adjust the size of or zoom into an image to look closer at a product may be helpful to their experience, and they may behave differently as a result. Strategic use of both microanimation and microinterac- tion can improve the digital customer experience. 82 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Minimalism and Simplified Experiences Minimalism is the concept of simplicity in design. Adopting a minimalistic approach involves keeping the design simple and not cluttered.65 Having numerous images, exten- sive text, and cluttered interfaces may result in a consumer being turned off. In some cases, consumers even consider the digital marketing on a cluttered website or app to be illegitimate. A minimalistic approach may enable consumers to have a simplified experi- ence rather than a confusing one. The Google search page is an example of utmost sim- plicity: Over time, consumers have decided to use Google as a favorite search engine despite other options that were filled with much more content on the search homepage. Language, Voice, Tone, and Style Content writers and digital marketers should write content that the target audience will understand and like to read. It is important to avoid industry jargon unless industry-specific terms are commonly known or the terms are explained for likely visitors.66 Consumers may react differently based on the voice and tone used in digital marketing, and these may influence the action they may or may not take within digital settings. As the term is used in digital marketing, voice involves the brand’s personality, which should be relatively constant and reflect the overall brand. Various voice types used—from authorita- tive to conversational to educational to quirky—will depend on the brand, the information being conveyed, and the digital channel. As used in digital marketing, tone describes emo- tive expression—how the brand’s personality is expressed—and is changeable, depending on mood, digital channel, and the situation. It may be funny, calming, or helpful, among other tones. The tone used in digital marketing must always match audience preferences. For example, the tone for a modern technology brand may differ significantly from that for a professional financial services firm.67 Marketers have experimented with various approaches, from formal to completely informal, to find the voice and tone that deliver the most effective DCX. The organization behind the digital marketing might have a style guide that must be followed. Colors, Contrast, Icons, and Shape Experiences Customer experience when engaging with digital marketing is also affected by the use of color and contrast, icons, and shapes. Color is a major factor in perception and helps to transmit meaning through visual Exhibit 3-5 means. Color marketing studies and explains how colors affect consumers’ impressions and Feelings Related to behaviors with respect to marketing. It is well known that color is a crucial aspect of brand- Various Colors in ing. Exhibit 3-5 displays various thoughts, feelings, and things that come to mind with Digital Marketing respect to different colors. Digital marketers should carefully consider these emotional Sources: “Misconceptions about responses to color as they design various digital communications and marketing pieces. the Psychology of Color,” https:// rycomcreative.com/misconceptions- Consumers’ behaviors may differ based on the colors presented. However, be aware that about-the-psychology-of-color/; “Inbound Marketing Infographic,” https://blog.broadvisionmarketing. Red: bold, sale, excitement, power com/blog/bid/304920/Inbound- Marketing-Infographic-Web-Design- Purple: creative, soothing, quality Colours-Website-Visitors; “How to Orange: friendly, cheerfulness Pick and Use the Best Color Schemes for Websites in 2018,” Yellow: warm, youth, confidence https://digitalfireflymarketing.com/ Green: healthy, money, environment our-blog/best-color-schemes- websites-2018/; “9 Call-to-Action Blue: dependable, security, trustworthy Color Examples,” https://convertkit. White: clean, pure, clear com/how-color-choices-affect-calls- to-action-online. Black: luxury, sleek, sophisticated  Digital Customer Experience (DCX) Management 83 Flipkart homepage uses a few colors to good consumer color preferences can change over time; digital marketers should keep up with advantage trends with respect to color marketing.68 Flipkart Flipkart, a leading Indian e-commerce website, uses colors and contrast to send various messages. The homepage leads off with a blue banner, which may elicit trust. Red is used to identify a sale (“50−80% off”). Purple (in the Grand Gadget Days display) may reflect quality electronics. The main image features popular Bollywood actors, with the female actor dressed in a bright yellow, which may convey confidence. In this way, a variety of colors may be used for different purposes. In addition, bold use of contrasts in color— the blue, red, and purple near white backgrounds and the yellow dress against the red background—creates engagement and interest. Icons also play an important role in digital marketing. These images or symbols help con- sumers identify actions, steps, or features. Icons used in digital marketing typically are in the form of small images that represent a specific action, such as a shopping cart on a website to mimic a physical shopping environment. Easy-to-understand icons that resonate with consumers can lead to quick, convenient actions being taken, and better digital customer experiences. Amazon.com, Inc Olive Garden Facebook Amazon’s shopping cart icon (left) is shaped like a physical cart and shows how many items are in the cart. Olive Garden’s icon for its to-go services Facebook contact icon (right ) is shaped as a bag. encourages contact. 84 CHAPTER THREE DIGITAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP AND EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT Thinking about Global Digital Marketing Colors, Icons, and More Uses of colors may vary internationally, and it is important for digital marketers to understand local preferences and particularities. Adjustments should be made for cultural differences. In the Thai tradition, a specific color is attributed to each day. In China, red is worn in the New Year and may represent luck, whereas in South Africa red symbolizes mourning. In India, red represents love and marriage. Yellow stands for bravery in Japan and high rank in Africa, but it is associated with pornography in China. Yellow is sacred in some Asian cultures but is asso- ciated with death in Latin America. Pink represents trust in Korea, while it represents architecture (such as buildings) in Latin America, and means sweetness in some Western cultures. Purple represents honor and courage in the United States, but purple (and also black) represents death in Thailand and Brazil. Yellow Red Japan (bravery) China (new year) Africa (ranking highly) India (love/marriage) Some of Asia (sacred) South Africa (mourning) China (pornography) Latin America (death) Pink Purple Korea (trust) United States (honor and courage) Latin America (architecture) Thailand (death) Western cultures (sweetness) Brazil (death) Sources: “What Colors Mean in Other Cultures,” Huffpost.com, last modified January 26, 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/what-colors-mean- in-other_b_9078674. Considering icons that might be relevant internationally is also important. For example, British consumers were confused by Apple’s cylindrical trash can icon on the Mac, because to them the shape looked like the iconic red street-side British mailboxes (postboxes). Some Mac users accidentally put email into the trash can. Sources: “What Colors Mean in Other Cultures,” Huffpost.com, last modified January 26, 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/what-colors-mean-in- other_b_9078674; “Colours and Their Different Meanings around the World,” Berger Paints, last modified May 20, 2016, www.bergerpaints.com/imaginecolours/colour-culture/colours-and-their-different-meanings-around-the-world; Nitish Singh, Localization Strategies for Global E-Business (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), p. 161.  KEY TERMS 85 Shapes also play a role in digital marketing. A recent UX-design trend has been a shift from traditional geometric shapes, based on principles of math—such as squares, circles, rectangles, and other common shapes—toward organic shapes that are more fluid, might be curvilinear, and are similar to natural items such as rocks or animals.69 The organic shapes are seen by some as more natural and inviting. It is important that digital marketers understand that DCX design issues differ across audiences. The box Thinking about Global Digital Marketing discusses some of those differences. Consistent and Transparent Experience Consistency is the agreement of the various aspects of digital marketing and can help to build or improve trust.70 Not only should the various digital marketing mediums be consis- tent in information, but there should also be consistency within a single medium. A consis- tent experience may allow consumers to feel that the information they are receiving through the digital source is accurate and trustworthy. For example, with an integrated marketing communication strategy or when employing an omni-channel strategy, messaging that is about the same product or concept should be consistent, although this does not mean the message has to be exactly the same. Consistency of message gives consumers the same or similar experience across digital channels. For example, it might negatively affect CX if a consumer sees a social media ad, clicks through to a website, and finds the messag- ing to be different from that in the ad. Adobe Experience Manager is an example of a tool that can help digital marketers provide a consistent experience; it identifies features by which digital marketers can check whether content is consistent as well as personalized.71 Digital marketers should also ensure transparency, which includes the visibility of infor- mation about a product or service. Transparency in digital marketing can lead to trust in the digital consumer experience.72 It would detract from transparency to hide key aspects of a product that consumers might not prefer in a place where consumers generally would not look. In addition, hiding such aspects might violate some ethical guidelines or legal rules. This chapter introduced a number of key consumer experience (CX) and user experi- ence (UX) concepts. Application of these concepts to specific areas of digital marketing will be discussed in further chapters. KEY TERMS accessible customer experience (CX) digital buyer persona action stage customer insights digital consumer aesthetic usability effect customer journey digital consumer behavior affiliate marketing customer lifetime value (CLV) digital consumer decision-making AIDA model customer relationship process awareness stage management (CRM) digital convenience bring your own persona (BYOP) customer satisfaction digital conversion funnel color marketing customer touch points digital culture consistency desirable digital customer credible desire stage digital customer experience (DCX)