In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the importance of establishing and nurturing connections with the B2B channel. We explored the motivations of retail outlets and what influences the decisions and emotions of small shop owners like Aunt Sau and Uncle Tu, aiming to gradually become their foremost choice and achieve “Top of Mind” status.
In this Part 2, PangoCDP will introduce strategies for “heating up” the Master Channel with Outlet on Super Apps like Zalo, Momo,etc. And implementing “Gamification” activities to create novelty and enhance the appeal of each message brand wishes to communicate.
Formalizing Chat Tools as the Main Communication Channel with Outlets
In recent years, a series of messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat have reached billions of users worldwide. Nowadays, these apps are not only a means of personal exchanges, but have also become interaction standards in work between members in the same company and between partners.
These chat apps and tools have provided a series of features such as work exchange, photos, documents, videos, etc., and most importantly, almost all these apps are free within a certain messaging limit.
According to statistics from internet user behavior survey organizations:
- 84% of customers want to use chat tools to learn about products and services.
- 74% of customers are willing to use chat tools to make purchases.
- 76% of customers surveyed said they are willing to use chat tools to make customer service requests.
Businesses have noticed this and started building The Master Channel.
Using The Master Channel to perform interactions between manufacturers and Outlets has been built by the PangoCDP team with a major consumer goods manufacturer in Vietnam, with up to 300,000 Outlets nationwide. Building The Master Channel was executed quickly by PangoCDP and initially proved effective.
Connecting Manufacturers and Outlets via The Master Channel
PhD. Dinh Mong Kha, CEO of VietGuys, also shared: “Businesses have a variety of channels to choose from for building a Master Channel. Besides SMS, Viber, MoMo, at present, Zalo stands out as an excellent choice for businesses to optimize costs and achieve high efficiency. Through Zalo, businesses can conduct activities such as broadcasting vouchers, sampling, surveys, or games, which can be set up and updated regularly using customer data platforms like PangoCDP. This interactive approach between brands and users will become more interesting and engaging than ever.”
Zalo – The Excellent Master Channel for Outlets
You may already know that the most popular and leading chat app in Vietnam is Zalo. The question: ‘Do you have Zalo?’ has become very familiar in sales and goods/services consulting communication.
As a Vietnamese application, from the interface to the features, Zalo is very user-friendly to Vietnamese people. In particular, Zalo is popular with Aunt Sau and Uncle Tu because it is easy to use and completely free. People might not have their own Facebook, but almost everyone with a phone number uses Zalo.
Connecting with Outlets through Zalo
To start creating a connection between the manufacturers and Outlets through the Zalo channel, Outlets need to follow the manufacturer’s Zalo OA.
Zalo OA (Zalo Official Account) is understood as a Zalo page for organizations, businesses or brands to serve their business purposes. Similar to fanpages on Facebook, this is the official account organizations use to contact its customers.
Following OA is extremely simple and does not require Outlets to be tech-savvy. The “art” lies in how to make Outlets interested and willing to follow and maintain connection with your OA.
Right after following the OA, Outlets will receive onboarding messages, guiding them to “integrate” and get acquainted with the company’s OA, starting with welcome messages and steps to confirm Outlet’s information.
After being successfully confirmed, depending on each company’s scenario, Outlets will receive benefits when interacting and purchasing within the Zalo app.
Messages can be sent 1:1 from the manufacturer to Outlets through the established Zalo channel. The content of the messages will revolve around information about discounts, promotions, information about new products, etc. More complex information includes order details or allowing Outlets to place orders directly within the message.
One crucial piece of information for Outlet is the member information regarding reward points and point usage. With Zalo, Outlets can check their current accumulated points through the Zalo connection portal and refer to the benefits to use the accumulated points at the same time. Depending on the complexity of the interaction, support from Zalo or integration with other systems like loyalty systems may be needed.
Zalo is not the only platform offering the above features, global chat tools like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram have also implemented similar functionalities. However, for grocery store owners, Zalo still dominates in terms of culture and usage habits.
Gamification for B2B – Game is easy!
Why do people like to play games?
Except for mothers whose children are addicted to games. In terms of science and psychology, the game meets the very basic needs of humans: rewards.
Upon completing an in-game mission or overcoming a challenge in a game, the brain automatically releases a substance called dopamine that induces feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation, preparing you for the next challenge.
Game production companies have become giant firms with billions in profits and could eventually evolve into virtual universes like “MetaVerse,” where many people are willing to spend more time than in real life.
That said, like it or not, games still have significance and great value in fostering engagement thanks to their ability to ”urge” customers to participate in challenges and receive rewards.
Game Scenarios for Outlets
For grocery store owners, besides their daily selling activities,their main entertainment tool during free time is their phone. They might chat for hours with family and friends using free chat tools, comfortably watch livestreams, or view comedy shows on Youtube, Facebook, etc.
Compared to children and youth, Aunt Sau and Uncle Tu may not have much interest and motivation to entertain themselves by playing games. So, if we skillfully combine the phone – work – game with rewards directly related to their “business”, such as giving additional products, discounts, or money for the next purchase,etc., it could be very feasible to encourage these customers to interact more frequently with the manufacturer.
Note: When designing game scenarios for grocery store owners, the games should not be too complicated, but should focus on causing curiosity, easy to play and win, and rewards that can apply directly to their next purchase. In addition, rewards can include loyalty points or special offers to encourage the Outlet to order.
Combining Games and The Master Channel
One of the simplest game scenarios is to open The Master Channel, e.g., Zalo, click on the received information, spin a 100% lucky circle to win, which will definitely create an urge for up to 80% of customers to participate.
When customers become accustomed to the manufacturer always providing rewards and benefits through the Zalo chat tool, they will open Zalo, check the manufacturer’s chat content more often because of fearing “missing out”, which is the desired outcome for any manufacturer.
To achieve this, initial game scenarios should be designed continuously to create sufficient interaction frequency, fostering a bond between manufacturers and Outlets. Subsequently, brands can build personalized interactions with each Outlet, such as birthday greetings, order reminders according to each stores’ needs, point accumulation notifications, point/voucher expiration reminders, etc. Thus, in the long run, the manufacturer will gradually win the “Top of Mind” game against competitors.
With experience in building and operating interaction channels between businesses and Outlets, resulting in specific figures for top brands in Vietnam. PangoCDP has built and accumulated a library of specialized game scenarios for Outlets. This helps manufacturers reduce effort and costs in the “Top of Mind” battle.
Back to the story of Outlet interaction, comparing the old way of communicating through salespeople (Salesman) with a frequency of twice a week, obviously, the interaction frequency between manufacturers and Outlets through The Master Channel and games is almost daily.
Such a mention does not mean the Salesman’s role is no longer valuable. Their role remains crucial as they represent the human connection. No matter how advanced the tools are, they only supplement the ultimate goal of “winning at the Outlet.”
Not only data exploitation strategies, but also detailed marketing campaign implementations for businesses based on data orientation and much new knowledge around The Master Channel will be presented in detail in The Main Interaction Channel – The Master Channel, Volume 1.
Six chapters of the book will guide readers through the impressive development journey of interaction methods between businesses and customers.
From the most primitive forms to multi-dimensional interactions in the smartphone era, the book will present successful stories along with leading global brands in boosting revenue by enhancing customer experience, explaining the success of The Master Channel concept when applied at two leading Vietnamese companies, Nutifood and CellphoneS.
The book is now available at Fahasa, Phuong Nam, Hai An, Ca Chep bookstores, and online at 24h bookshops and e-commerce platforms like Tiki, Shopee, and TikTok Shop. You can also quickly order the book here: https://i.o2o.vn/H767
