Marketing vs. Privacy: the Delicate Balance

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to the relationship between a Web merchant and their customers, nothing is more important than trust. The equation is pretty simple. Lose the customers' trust, lose their business.

How do you lose a customer's trust? Let's look at three foolproof ways:

1. You bury them with an endless assault of promotions.
2. You arbitrarily use the order information they provided to send them marketing materials that don't have opt-out options.
3. You share their information. Sure, it's tempting to sell data, but do you really want your customers to know that they've got you to thank for all the Viagra e-mails they're suddenly getting?

The challenge, of course, is that there's a very thin line between pushy and persistent. On one hand, you need to use the customer data you've gathered to generate repeat business. But you can't throw everything at your customers and hope something sticks. That's a sure way to send them elsewhere.

So what's the happy medium? Three proven strategies used by top merchants using the Zoovy Complete platform are:

• Encouraging customers to sign up for a newsletter containing the latest information on special offers, coupons, new products and sales events.
• Providing customers with the targeted offers that are tightly focused around the products they have previously purchased.
• Clearly stating their privacy guarantees so customers feel assured that their information won't be sold or shared with other merchants.

As with all promotional strategies, timing is important. Research done by Zoovy indicates that newsletters and e-mail offers are best presented during the checkout process because customers who buy from a Web store have already decided that the site is secure, trustworthy and the products are suited to their needs.

Successful e-businesses understand the importance of tailoring promotional materials to fit the specific interests of their customers. And that's where Zoovy Complete excels. Zoovy Complete's built-in Customer Relations Management (CRM) tools give merchants a competitive edge. Whether it's targeted e-mails, informative newsletters or valuable information on customer buying patterns, Zoovy Complete provides the secure, advanced marketing technology that merchants need to accommodate their customers, enhance the merchant-customer relationship and boost sales.

For more information about the Zoovy Complete assisted e-commerce platform and how it can enhance your sales, visit https://www.zoovy.com/complete or call 1.877.966.8948 to speak to an e-business development specialist.

SOURCE Zoovy, Inc.