Use Real-Time Digital Receipts to Drive Effective Social Media Connections

Brands are striving for continuous engagement. They are focused on getting consumers to talk about them on social media with the goal of growing list size, outreach, and ultimately some sort of share of wallet.

So much money is being spent on building up social media sites, why not consider using a slightly different approach? Think about building up on digital confirmations or digital receipts. Brands should consider investing in getting transactional receipts over to consumers – let me offer a few innovative examples.

Dillard’s and Macy’s offer their consumers a digital receipt to a transaction – the process is simple, they ask you for your email ID and deliver the message in near real time. Sometimes they even include an offer to pick up something else while you are still around.

Delta Air Lines provides its consumers with a boarding card that is delivered in real time. This receipt is my connection – not only to the flight but also to the airline. Past receipts are easily available via an app and this helps the frequent traveler stay organized.

Wells Fargo became one of the first financial institutions to offer its consumers a digital confirmation from an ATM transaction to an email ID. The delivery of this message in your inbox makes it very efficient.

Ideally, a receipt to the inbox leads to an open. Good content can lead to a click or feedback that will help you learn more. This information should be leveraged as soon as possible into your next campaign.

Think about what makes the receipt useful to the consumer and include this information within the receipt. Next think about making the receipt easy to read by organizing the information properly. As you grow your consumer adoption, move on to making it visually appealing.

A receipt is a confirmation of a transaction – both for the consumer and the merchant. It is a brand’s way to connect with the consumer. Consider leveraging these connections into social conversations – you will learn more about the consumer, you will build up on user-generated content, and your ability to engage will lead to a larger share of wallet.

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