IMPACT OF DIGITIZATION ON SALES AND MARKETING PROCESSES
We live in a digital world where companies, goods, and services are developing at breakneck speed, so it’s no surprise that sales and marketing are being revolutionised digitally. While everybody anticipated digital technology to help things go faster, just a few individuals predicted the societal impact that digital media and online networking would have. Since customers engage with businesses more frequently through digital channels, forward-thinking companies recognise that this transition presents a substantial opportunity for sales and marketing departments to improve and simplify processes.
Digitization has had a significant impact on various parts of corporate operations, particularly marketing. Technology has revolutionised the way customers shop and purchase products. Though direct marketing techniques like advertisements, pamphlets, and billboards used to be the most effective, increasing your internet presence has become essential.
Going digital has had huge consequences in terms of marketing. Digital media’s features, such as more precise data paired with interactivity, have now opened up entirely new marketing possibilities. As a result, there’s no denying the fact that digital technology can be a great marketing tool.
For businesses to achieve sustained growth and retention, it is essential to create and maintain long-term connections between sellers and customers during the sales process because the goal of establishing long-term commercial ties has resulted in a significant amount of face-to-face sales activity. This form of business is fast evolving as a result of the digitization of communication, particularly in this timespan. According to studies, 90% of consumers initially look for product information on the internet before approaching a salesperson.
There are numerous advantages to digitising the sales and marketing process. It drastically improves productivity and team effectiveness, in addition to boosting sales and profits. The following are the most significant impacts of sales and marketing digitization.
Efficiency and Transparency:
Digitizing field sales increases the visibility of the whole selling process, allowing field sales managers and reps to constantly have a comprehensive picture of everyone’s actions as well as every piece of information about clients and leads.
They immediately become more efficient as a result of improved transparency and accountability, and they begin to achieve the required goals in much less time and without much energy.
Enhanced Customer Experience:
The digitization of the sales process enables representatives to study client purchasing behaviour and their needs, as well as engage and serve their customers in a more efficient and timely manner.
A More Simplified Method:
Digital technology, when integrated with your company’s marketing departments, will help with delivery and development. You can, for example, track the efficiency of activities like sending out promotional emails. Even then, utilising tools such as the Google Ads Dashboard, you can cut down on the time it takes to create and launch a campaign.
As a result, digitally focused companies will be able to profit from more targeted and speedier marketing initiatives. This will save your firm’s precious man-hours that might be put to better use.
Increased adaptability:
A well-organized, automated marketing strategy can help your company become more flexible. Companies may improve their marketing strategy more quickly and easily by using digitally focused campaigns. This allows them to successfully adapt to market fluctuations. It’s noteworthy that organisations that adopt such technologies have a lot more freedom than they did before with conventional approaches.
Efficient Data Collection:
Since digital data is key to ensuring that you understand how clients buy products and services, data collection is an essential part of any marketing strategy. Nonetheless, the information can be used to save an unsuccessful campaign or launch a more effective one. Digital processes have the capability of providing a huge quantity of data for organisations that can comprehend it.
Effective Communication and Coordination:
Field sales representatives and management can connect and work with one another at any time and from any location using their digital platform. Real-time communication not only keeps everybody in the loop, but it also unites the team and boosts production efficiency.
Artificial intelligence (AI):
Artificial intelligence (AI) can learn from prior sales data and direct sellers to the most profitable offers and pricing. AI solutions can assist salespeople in quickly filling their pipeline. Today, artificial intelligence AI programmes can search your databases to find new leads for you. AI can also assist you with your work.
Tools for Sales Automation:
Follow-up emails to consumers and leads can be automated and scheduled using CRM software. Sales automation technology can also help you enhance your conversion rate by optimising your sales funnel. When leads move through the sales funnel, they are tracked and sorted.
Customization As a Viable Option:
The ability to customise content for individual clients is one of the most efficient ways that digitalization has transformed how digital marketing works. It’s now possible to follow individual consumer activities and behaviour using a combination of metrics and interactivity, and then use that information to deliver a customised marketing response. As consumer interest is tracked on social networking sites, marketing experts don’t have to speculate where their customers’ interests might be.
strengthening the company’s image:
Replacing conventional catalogues with digital catalogues full of high-quality photographs and videos is a great way to attract and engage customers as well as potential buyers, while also making a great first impression. While selling goods or services, utilising digital platforms enhances the brand reputation and keeps an organisation ahead of its competitors who haven’t yet adapted to the changing times.
The Major Advantages of Digitalization in Marketing:
In marketing, digitalization is essential for increasing the efficiency of various marketing activities. It’s worth noting that innovative digital marketing solutions help to improve quality, reinvent profitability, and promote consistency, all of which contribute to providing businesses with a competitive advantage.
Digitization can –
- Assist in the avoidance of human error.
- Enhance the business’s ability to grow continuously.
- Reduce your operating expenses.
Final Thoughts
Along with all the great aspects of digitization, there are still some drawbacks and obstacles that companies and individuals must deal with.
Data protection and privacy
Social Isolation
The rising cost of maintenance given the rapid advancement of new technologies and the increased storage of data.
Because of the greater transparency, there is more competition in product pricing.
More technology-driven employment and less physical effort may result in job loss.
The impact of switching to a digitised sales and marketing process is undeniable. It’s a game-changing shift that’s become critical for any firm wanting to boost sales and profits while staying ahead of the competition. Digitization has cleared the way for new business opportunities, innovation, and development. If we wish to move forward, it must be adopted.
References:
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-is-digital-transformation-changing-marketing
https://www.fieldcircle.com/10-benefits-of-digitization-of-field-sales/
https://ppcexpo.com/blog/digitalization-in-marketing
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/impact-digital-transformation-sales-process-nilesh-sinha/
Image Source: Shutterstock
By Somasree Roy, Textile Value Chain
