The pandemic reinforced the reliance on eCommerce and pushed businesses to digitalize their services. Parallelly, the intent to support local businesses and preserve the integrity of local communities got stronger. Consumer expectations as well as their buying behavior changed and their search intent became more local - presenting big opportunities for the mid-market segment.  

Here are some observations from “The New Face of Local” report by Uberall: 

• Indirect queries became more dominant, and there was a significant increase in “near me” searches (clinics near me, car service centers near me, etc).  

• The business profiles on Google saw increased actions. The number of clicks on the Phone Call and Website links grew by 35%, suggesting that Businesses couldn’t rely on foot traffic alone, as the consumers’ need to convert via phone or website became evident. 

Post-pandemic expectations: 

• Consumers still value stores but are more inclined toward experiences that are hybrid or omnichannel.

• The physical store is not the center of all activities anymore and is now a part of the channel mix (offline and online). 

Therefore, it’s fair to say that this new buying behavior has attained a certain permanence. 

You need to look at Consumer Experience(CX) through the lens of the local customer journey

Users who prefer to engage with brands locally rely on a mix of online and offline channels. For example, following a local search they may decide to:  

• Buy in-store.

• Buy online and pick up in-store.

• Buy online and have it shipped (or return it to the store).

The buying pattern of this new breed of users is mostly based on convenience rather than loyalty to a particular channel. Brands must meet these changing user expectations and deliver a positive CX across channels (voice call, email, SMS, etc). Delivering a mediocre experience at any touchpoint can disrupt the entire customer journey (from discovery to onboarding to retention).

Think about this: 

• If people can’t find you, they won’t buy your product or service.

• If they find you but are unable to seamlessly connect with you over calls and have two-way conversations, they will eventually shift to your competitor.

• If they find your website/eCommerce portal/app but get stuck in a long and tedious login or checkout process, they are likely to drop off. 

• If they have a poor experience with your customer success team after onboarding, they’re unlikely to return (and may communicate that online). 

Optimize your local customer experience 

Most local customer journeys begin from search engines, and therefore, the first step is to optimize your business listing on SERPs - so that your business details don’t pop up on search in a skewed manner (irrelevant information, vague or incorrect images, very few reviews, etc). Uberall’s study on reputation management states that reviews and ratings are strong conversion factors as 90% of consumers read reviews for local businesses. 

• You can add information like your phone number, address, operating hours, reviews, and Wikipedia snippets. 

• You can present an impactful brand identity with cover images, logos, event snapshots, and business use case pictures. 

But there are downsides to Business Listings on SERPs. 

Negative reviews naturally come to mind, but there is more.

SERPs are dominated by spammy, keyword-stuffed, and fake competitor listings, which can cause serious harm to both searchers and local businesses. 

Scammers keep a keen eye on local business listings and manipulate the details to their advantage. For example, they may leave fake customer care numbers in the review or comment section of business listings - misleading customers to share confidential information.

Therefore, Business listing on SERPs is not the complete solution!

You shouldn't cool your heels once you optimize your visibility on SERPs. As you can see from the above-mentioned downsides - this approach is not foolproof.  

You need to have accurate and relevant business information on other customer touchpoints as well. 

What if your business details appear skewed on users’ phone screens when you call them for customer support, order confirmation or cancellation, food delivery, appointment booking, refund, etc? 

For example - 

• Your brand name is incorrect or not spelled correctly.

• There is no company logo.

• The number appears suspicious to customers. 

Users won’t know who is calling them and why. 

Listing your number on Truecaller Business Program and getting a Verified Business Caller ID (shown below) can put you on the map of genuine businesses and elevate your reputation in the process. 

You can have trusted, transparent, and timely conversations, and make your brand appear conscientious and dependable to customers, with: 

• Green Screen - to exude positivity and genuineness.

• Brand Visibility - accurately displaying your brand name and logo (non-editable by user community).  

• Verified Business Badge - making your brand stand out from fraudulent callers. 

• Call Reason - enabling you to call customers with utmost transparency. 

• Business Category Tag - adding the industry angle to the call.

Don’t just stop at a Verified Caller ID and further enhance your communication capabilities

You can add another dimension to your voice calls and make your customer communication even more distinctive, lively, and relatable by running branded, use case videos in the background of your Verified Caller ID. 

How?

By enabling our Video Caller ID feature for your selected business numbers. You can have two major advantages with this advanced communication capability: 

• You can add an extra layer of brand trust and identity to your business calls. 

• The regular display of such videos (on users’ phone screens) can improve brand recall. 

Read More: All about Video Caller ID 

Make your customer onboarding quick and effortless

Users go through a series of experiences before they get to your product. With each experience, you can either elevate or plummet the value of your product in the eyes of users. As mentioned earlier in the article, if users find your website or eCommerce portal (thanks to your business listing and content optimization efforts) but are unable to seamlessly log in or checkout, they might drop off.

A quick sign-up or verification process where users don’t have to manually fill in their information can significantly reduce the number of drop-offs. 

Truecaller Verification SDK is a prominent solution in this space, helping major digital platforms innovate and optimize their customer onboarding journey. The solution enables businesses with phone-number-based user verification capability. Users can instantly sign-up with one tap and without any OTP dependency. 

Conclusion 

Today, businesses shouldn’t rely on their locations alone to drive sales. This is especially true for retailers who should think of an online shop as a complementary pillar or use a marketplace to sell their products. However, it’s not only about where you sell your products and services but also about which channels you communicate with your target audience and how efficiently you communicate. 

Future consumers will base their purchasing decisions on what they find to be convenient. Businesses need to be flexible and consider how to make the consumer journey as seamless as possible - by having trusted and timely conversations, and offering facilities like click-and-collect, home delivery, or in-store returns to win consumers’ loyalty.