At the intersection of customer service, marketing, and brand building

Welcome to the digital age. Today, adopting new technologies is not just a trend but a necessity for businesses to thrive and succeed. With rapid advancements happening in the tech world, it's evident that the future lies in embracing digital transformation. The benefits are immense – increased efficiency, convenience, and accuracy – all leading to better customer experiences. 

In fact, 35% of leaders say that a top benefit of going digital is being better at meeting customer  expectations. This shows how important it is for companies to create strong connections with their audience. The era of "Digital Everything" is upon us, influencing every aspect of business, from communication and marketing to transactions and beyond. 

Technology improvements give businesses new ways to engage people, making a smart digital plan a must for lasting success. Such a strategy:

• Optimizes operations
• Reduces costs
• Adapts to client needs
• Enables tailored experiences
• Boosts customer satisfaction and brand loyalty

Tapping into this promising landscape, Rakuten Viber has become essential for helping companies connect with their audience. The 2022 numbers show the growing importance of messaging: 

• 73% rise in Transactional Business Messages
• 17% growth in Conversational ones
• 11% increase in Promotional Business Messages worldwide

Also, 12 billion messages were sent and received around the world via Rakuten Viber Chatbots, highlighting the immense popularity of this automated tool for providing 24/7 support. 

As these and related trends continue to develop, Rakuten Viber helps brands achieve exceptional business results by supporting their growth and connecting them with their audiences.

Transforming the Customer Journey: Focusing on Mobile, Multi-Channel, and Users Engagement

The customer journey has transformed into a more intricate and dynamic experience today. The traditional linear path to purchase has been replaced by a more complex one that involves different channels, devices, and touchpoints. Here are the main changes:

• The growing focus on mobile devices. People now initiate their research and shopping experiences on mobile more often than ever before. Smartphones are being used to learn about products, compare prices, hunt deals, and buy things. In fact, in the past six months, a minimum of 79% of smartphone users have made an online purchase via their mobile devices.
• Consumers frequently switch between various channels during their journey. For instance, they might begin on a mobile device, transition to a desktop computer for further research, or even be influenced by a TV advertisement before visiting a website to gain additional information.
• People now have more ways to interact with brands. Alongside websites and apps, they also engage with social media, chatbots, and voice assistants, which means they pass through many points of contact with the brand.

As a result, it is crucial for marketers to map out the customer journey and identify the key touchpoints that influence purchase decisions. This is necessary to ensure a seamless and personalized experience across all channels and devices. By understanding and adapting to these changes, businesses can better connect with their audience and successfully guide them through the purchase journey.

What Rakuten Viber Offers for Businesses

Rakuten Viber for Business offers a range of features designed for excellent customer service, marketing, and brand building. Classified by the journey stages, they include the following: 

Awareness

• Organizations can create a searchable Rakuten Viber Business Account, which serves as a centralized hub for all the brand information and chat interactions. It increases visibility and encourages people to initiate conversations with a business.
• Rakuten Viber Ads play a crucial role in creating awareness and capturing attention. With targeting options based on demographics, interests, and location, businesses can run highly relevant and personalized campaigns that resonate with their audience.
• Rakuten Viber Lenses and Stickers provide immersive and interactive experiences, enabling brands to attract consumers in new and unique ways. Using them, businesses can create viral and engaging marketing campaigns.

Interest

• During the decision-making process, Rakuten Viber's Conversational and Promotional Business Messages ensure that companies can offer real-time support and spark customers’ interest by sending tailored offers based on their preferences and interests.
• Rakuten Viber Chatbots provide 24/7 assistance, effectively answering queries, recommending products, and even facilitating purchases, freeing up real agents to tackle more complex issues. This instant response time caters to the increasing consumer demand, ultimately leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty. Ads prove useful at this stage, too.

Conversion

• To drive conversions and simplify the purchasing process, Rakuten Viber offers a seamless shopping experience through Business Messages and Chatbots. These tools help customers to complete the purchase and enable businesses to keep them informed about order statuses, shipping details, and more.

Loyalty

• In the post-purchase phase, Rakuten Viber helps to maintain customer satisfaction and encourage repeat purchases. By providing timely and efficient assistance through Conversational Business Messages and Chatbots, businesses can build trust, foster loyalty, and gather feedback for continuous improvement.
• Rakuten Viber enables companies to effectively track their success by providing dynamic real-time analytics. By monitoring key metrics such as messages sent and delivered, open and click-through rates, businesses can gain valuable insights into their campaign performance and engagement.

Success Stories

To see how the mentioned strategies can be applied in a real-life business scenario, consider these success stories.

Coca-Cola was on a lookout for ways to strengthen its mobile presence, engage with new and existing consumers, and offer an integrated digital experience in Bulgaria. Due to its highly connected and engaged audience in the country, the company turned to Rakuten Viber.

Coca-Cola launched a 3-month campaign using a Rakuten Viber Sticker pack with a promo code mechanism and a chatbot experience. The company leveraged cross-promotion across its social media channels to maximize reach and conversions and integrated an "under-the-cap" sweepstakes within the Rakuten Viber campaign.

Coca-Cola's innovative approach was embraced by the Bulgarian audience, resulting in:

• Almost 30 000 cap codes redeemed
• A 30% conversion rate, exceeding the industry average by 10 times

Another example is Leroy Merlin, a leading home improvement retailer, aimed to enhance communication with their loyalty program members in Greece.

The company reached out to our trusted messaging partner M-STAT and chose Rakuten Viber Business Messages to achieve their goal. Rakuten Viber’s extensive reach in Greece, rich content capabilities, and SMS fallback option helped Leroy Merlin to deliver transactional coupons and promotional messages. 

As a result, Leroy Merlin experienced a 300% faster customer service response time, a 20% increase in basket size, and a 30% cost saving compared to using SMS.

For more information and inspiration, take a look at how other brands, in collaboration with Rakuten Viber, have reached their goals and are growing increasingly successful.

The Advantages of Rakuten Viber for Customer Engagement, Marketing, and Brand Building

A well-rounded approach to communication with customers at each stage of the customer journey is a must. Targeted marketing efforts help attract and retain clients, while excellent customer service fosters trust and loyalty. Simultaneously, building a strong brand identity sets businesses apart in the competitive digital market, creating a lasting impression on their audiences. Ultimately, it all contributes to long-term success and sustained growth.

Rakuten Viber offers numerous benefits for brands, enhancing a company's digital presence. Rakuten Viber helps build a strong brand identity in a seamless and interactive way. Its advertising tools and rich media support effective marketing, driving engagement and conversions. In customer service, Rakuten Viber's chatbots and business messages facilitate prompt, personalized assistance, nurturing loyalty among clients. 

With Rakuten Viber having 1 billion downloads on Android only, it's evident that businesses must consider integrating the app into their marketing toolbox. Try Rakuten Viber and see how it transforms your business and relationship with customers.