Speaker : Sarah Rotman Epps, Senior Analyst · Forrester Research

1. KEYNOTE:
The Secret Sauce for
Building Digital Relationships
SARAH
ROTMAN EPPS
Senior Analyst
Forrester Research

2. The Secret Sauce For Building
Digital Relationships
Sarah Rotman Epps, Senior Analyst
August 8, 2012
Twitter: @srepps

3. How do you create customer
relationships in your business?
Grocery clerk, c. 1935
Image source: Crooked Lake Review
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 3

4. Digital technology makes some
relationships less personal
Online grocery shopping, 2012
Image source: Peapod website
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 4

5. But digital can also enable relationships
where none were possible before
Image source: Samsung Nation (www.samsung.com/us/samsungnation/)
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 5

6. Digital relationships are crucial for
competing in the digital age
HOW NETFLIX SUCCEEDED WHERE EVERYONE ELSE IN VIDEO FAILED
Netflix digitized the customer
relationship before the product
Netflix started digitizing the relationship
as early as 1999—8 years before
launching “Watch Instantly”—by:
• Designing a product that rewarded
frequent digital interaction
• Not waiting for new technology to
create innovation opportunities
• Expanding the relationship to any
touchpoint consumers adopted
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 6

7. Digital technology brings disruption to
every industry
• New competition, from unexpected places
• New touchpoints to reach your customer
Image source: Square website
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 7

8. Tools alone are not enough to create relationships
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 8
Image source: Bon Appetit

9. You need…secret sauce
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 9

10. This guy needs secret sauce:
ACTUAL FORRESTER CLIENT INQUIRY FROM A MULTINATIONAL BANK
“We want to do something with
„gamification,‟ but we‟re not
sure what or why.”
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 10

11. Chase’s secret sauce:
Motivate customers to do something that’s good for
them—creating a reason to visit more frequently
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 11
Image source: Chase website

12. SugarSync’s secret sauce:
Incent customers to get the most possible value from
using their product—driving free-to-paid conversion
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 12
Image source: SugarSync website

13. Everyday Health’s secret sauce:
Help consumers stick with their workout—increasing
paid conversions and new customer acquisition
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 13
Image source: Badgeville

14. How to create your own secret sauce
1. Understand customer needs
2. Link customer benefits with business
benefits
3. Only then, brainstorm and spec the
actual experience you want to build
4. Continuously learn from your digital
relationship to improve it
© 2012 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited 14

15. Thank you
Sarah Rotman Epps
+1 415.294.8178
srotman@forrester.com
@srepps