Learn From Amazon’s Effective Use of Cross-Device Marketing For a Seamless Customer Experience

Meet Sarah, a busy mom who spends most of her day juggling work and taking care of her children. She loves to shop online and find the best deals, but she gets frustrated when her shopping experience is not seamless.

One day, Sarah saw an ad for a new brand of baby products on her phone and was impressed by the quality and price of the items. She clicked on the ad and spent some time browsing the brand’s website, adding items to her cart.

However, when Sarah tried to complete the purchase on her phone, she realized that the website wasn’t optimized for mobile and the checkout process was slow and cumbersome. She quickly lost interest and abandoned her cart.

Later that day, Sarah was on her laptop and remembered the brand she had seen on her phone earlier. She went back to the website, but when she tried to access her cart, she realized that her items were no longer there. Sarah was frustrated and decided to look for a different brand that could provide a better shopping experience.

This brand didn’t use cross-device marketing, and as a result, Sarah’s shopping journey was not consistent or seamless. She encountered different challenges on different devices and was unable to complete her purchase. The brand lost a potential customer, and Sarah moved on to find a brand that could provide the shopping experience she was looking for.

This scenario highlights the importance of cross-device marketing in providing a consistent and seamless customer experience. By not using cross-device marketing, the brand missed out on a potential customer and lost the opportunity to build a long-term relationship with her.

Cross-device marketing refers to the practice of delivering consistent and synchronized messages across multiple devices used by a single individual. The goal of cross-device marketing is to create a seamless and cohesive customer experience that extends across devices, thereby increasing the likelihood of conversion.

In today’s digital age, most people own multiple devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets, and use them interchangeably throughout the day. As a result, customers may start researching a product on their phone, continue on their tablet, and ultimately make the purchase on their laptop. This fragmented customer journey across multiple devices presents a significant challenge for marketers.

To effectively reach customers across devices, it is crucial for marketers to first understand their customers’ cross-device behavior. This includes determining the types of devices used by their target audience and understanding how and when those devices are used. For example, customers may use their smartphones primarily for browsing the web and checking emails, while using their laptops for more complex tasks such as making online purchases.

Once a clear understanding of cross-device behavior has been established, marketers can then begin to implement cross-device marketing strategies. One such strategy is cross-device tracking, which involves using technologies such as cookies, device fingerprinting, and mobile device IDs to track a customer’s interactions across multiple devices. This information can then be used to deliver personalized and relevant messages to the customer, regardless of the device they are using.

Another important aspect of cross-device marketing is cross-device optimization. This involves ensuring that marketing campaigns and messaging are optimized for each device type to ensure the best possible user experience. For example, a message designed for a desktop computer may not be suitable for a smartphone, as the smaller screen size and different user interface may require a different design and messaging approach.

To effectively reach customers across devices, it is also important for marketers to leverage cross-device data. This can be achieved by integrating data from multiple sources, such as website analytics, social media, and email marketing, to gain a comprehensive view of the customer journey. This data can then be used to inform and optimize cross-device marketing campaigns and messaging.

One popular approach to cross-device marketing is cross-device retargeting. This involves serving targeted ads to customers who have interacted with your brand on one device, on another device they are using. For example, if a customer has viewed a product on their smartphone, retargeting ads for that product could be served to them on their laptop or tablet. This allows marketers to reach customers where they are most likely to convert and to remind them of products they were interested in.

Amazon & Cross-Device Marketing

Amazon has been a leader in cross-device marketing and has been able to provide a seamless customer experience across all devices.

For example, if a customer starts browsing Amazon’s website on their laptop and adds items to their cart, they can easily pick up where they left off on their phone or tablet. The items in the customer’s cart will be saved, and they can complete the purchase on any device they prefer. This allows Amazon to provide a consistent shopping experience, no matter what device the customer is using.

Amazon also uses cross-device marketing to personalize its advertising efforts. If a customer searches for a product on their phone and adds it to their wish list, they may see ads for that product on their laptop or tablet. This personalization helps Amazon to increase customer engagement and drive sales.

Furthermore, Amazon uses cross-device tracking to understand customer behavior and preferences. By tracking customer interactions across all devices, Amazon can build a complete customer profile and use that information to personalize its marketing efforts. This helps Amazon to provide a relevant and enjoyable customer experience and build customer loyalty.

Customers are often happy with how cross-device marketing works because it allows them to receive a consistent and relevant brand experience, no matter what device they are using. They feel that the brand is always present and understands their needs, and they appreciate the personalized touch. 

Amazon’s use of cross-device marketing has helped the company to provide a seamless customer experience, increase customer engagement, and drive sales. By effectively utilizing cross-device marketing, Amazon has become a leading e-commerce platform and a great example of how companies can effectively use this strategy.

Cross-Device Software Tools

As cross-device marketing becomes increasingly important in today’s digital landscape, there are a number of software tools that can help marketers implement and optimize their cross-device marketing efforts. These tools can be divided into several categories, including cross-device tracking, cross-device optimization, cross-device data integration, and cross-device retargeting.

Cross-Device Tracking Tools:

• Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a web analytics service that provides valuable insights into website traffic, including information on the devices used by visitors. This information can be used to track and analyze cross-device behavior and optimize cross-device marketing efforts.
• Adobe Experience Cloud: Adobe Experience Cloud is a suite of marketing and analytics tools that includes cross-device tracking capabilities. With Adobe Experience Cloud, marketers can track customer interactions across devices and use this information to personalize messaging and improve the customer experience.

Cross-Device Optimization Tools:

• Optimizely: Optimizely is an experimentation and optimization platform that helps marketers optimize their websites and apps for different devices. With Optimizely, marketers can A/B test different versions of a website or app to determine which design and messaging elements are most effective on each device type.
• Responsive Design Frameworks: Responsive design frameworks, such as Bootstrap and Foundation, can be used to create websites and apps that automatically adjust their layout and appearance based on the device being used. This makes it easier for marketers to optimize their content for different devices.

Cross-Device Data Integration Tools:

• Segment: Segment is a customer data platform that integrates data from multiple sources, including website analytics, social media, and email marketing. This information can then be used to gain a comprehensive view of the customer journey and inform cross-device marketing efforts.
• Tealium AudienceStream: Tealium AudienceStream is a data management platform that integrates customer data from multiple sources, including website analytics, social media, and email marketing. This information can then be used to create a unified customer profile and inform cross-device marketing efforts.

Cross-Device Retargeting Tools:

• AdRoll: AdRoll is a retargeting platform that helps marketers reach customers across devices with targeted ads. AdRoll uses cross-device tracking to determine which devices a customer has used and delivers targeted ads to those devices.
• Criteo: Criteo is a performance marketing platform that uses cross-device tracking to deliver targeted ads to customers across devices. Criteo can be used to retarget customers who have interacted with a brand on one device, on another device they are using.

By selecting and using the right tools, marketers can effectively implement and optimize their cross-device marketing efforts and reach customers at every stage of their journey.

In conclusion, cross-device marketing is a critical component of modern marketing strategies. By understanding customer behavior across devices, implementing cross-device tracking and optimization, leveraging cross-device data, and executing cross-device retargeting campaigns, marketers can reach customers at every stage of their journey and increase the likelihood of conversion.

For more information about how to improve your email deliverability, download A Beginner’s Guide to Email Marketing by Mirabel’s Marketing Manager: