Strategies to Enhance and Sustain Customer Loyalty
Balaji Hariharan, Sr. Director, and Head of Product/UX/Analytics, Samsung Electronics, 0
As customer expectations rise, competition becomes increasingly fierce, whether operating a brick-and-mortar store or an online enterprise. Consequently, brands must explore every avenue to enhance customer loyalty and cultivate each relationship. The most effective strategy to attract potential customers and promote repeat business is providing a memorable, emotionally engaging customer experience. When brands craft experiences that strike a chord, they not only differentiate themselves—they also gain enduring customer loyalty. Ultimately, satisfied customers are incredibly valuable and can easily evolve into your most passionate brand supporters. But how do you create this experience? At BIGBOX INDIA – A Global Retail & E-Commerce Summit 2025 hosted recently by Scribe Minds & Media, Balaji Hariharan, Sr. Director, and Head of Product/UX/Analytics, Samsung Electronics, shares insights on building loyal customers and retention, and the role of AI in providing better customer experience.
What are some of the examples of creating undeniable customer experiences, especially regarding Samsung?
About a year and a half ago, we launched the world's first AI phone. This device includes numerous AI features that function independently from an internet connection or cloud services. For instance, the real-time translation capability allows you to communicate with someone who speaks Hindi or French, even if you’re not fluent. Normally, you'd be at a loss for words, but we created a feature that enables real-time translation. There are many more such AI features created that cater to customer needs. Finally AI or not, we need to make customers happy - that's the only mantra!
How can we sustain loyalty?
In the current landscape, consumers have an overwhelming amount of options, and they are pretty knowledgeable nowadays. When we sell smartphones, people pose very challenging questions that even a trained salesman might struggle to answer. For instance, they might ask, "After installing the operating system and all my apps, how much RAM will be available for my games?" It's evident that consumers are informed. Hence, not underestimating customers is vital.
Also Read: Brands Empowering and Prioritizing the Ethical Handloom and Artisans
Today's consumers are utilizing AI tools, whether it's through platforms like Perplexity or AI-enhanced features available on Google. This suggests that various chatbots could reflect business influences, similar to how businesses have used SEO and SEM for better visibility. AI is indeed assisting individuals in making choices.
How do we effectively use AI and data-powered personalization?
There are plenty of major brands utilizing AI, such as Netflix, which introduced the idea of suggesting titles based on your viewing history; if you watched this, you might enjoy that. All of this has been AI-driven for a long time, and they do it quietly while grabbing your attention. It customizes suggestions for groups and presents them nicely to us. I could have countless shows and movies available, but I'll only display what you truly want.
There is a significant drawback, though—you sometimes need to search manually, which means retraining the AI from showing me newer things I want to explore.
Likewise, Nike has created an interesting solution for the challenge of shoe sizing, as the differences between brands can be confusing; Bata may have one fit, UK sizes another, and US sizes something else entirely. Nike offers a feature that allows you to just take a picture and analyzes your feet to find the right fit somehow. AI has become quite straightforward nowadays; previously, we wouldn’t know the solutions, but now with AI, it determines the shape for you. Another point is that while I may have a wide variety of options available, the system can use AI to suggest the best products based on my preferences and fit.
AI performs all the matching tasks to analyze this data and understand the global situation. To summarize, there are three main points:
1. Focus on immediate care
2. Connect them with some memory of the product or consumer
3. Take a proactive approach using AI.
Essentially, it's about recalling known information. For instance, consider the airline industry. They can track data about specific flights and anticipate delays, allowing them to alert travelers proactively. Airlines like Indigo also provide SMS notifications to keep passengers informed. They aim to utilize AI to enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction because nobody wants to rush to the airport only to be delayed for an hour after navigating busy traffic.
Now consider Starbucks. When you visit a Starbucks, many of us have specific preferences for our coffee, particularly in the US. In India, the scenario is slightly different since guests often accept whatever is served without complaints. Conversely, American customers are more accustomed to their specific When someone arrives at Starbucks, the AI tracks their preferences and can remember their name. Additionally, the coffee choice might change based on the time of day—different flavors in the morning versus the evening. AI plays a crucial role in ensuring a better experience here.
Also Read: WAVES 2025: Burgeoning India's Orange Economy
How can we ensure data security amid all these?
We must respect users and avoid making them feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, it’s important to communicate clearly what we’re doing with the information and equally emphasize what we’re not doing with it, as that can be more significant. Lastly, if users perceive trust and value in exchange for their personal details, they are likely to provide that information willingly.
There are plenty of major brands utilizing AI, such as Netflix, which introduced the idea of suggesting titles based on your viewing history; if you watched this, you might enjoy that. All of this has been AI-driven for a long time, and they do it quietly while grabbing your attention. It customizes suggestions for groups and presents them nicely to us. I could have countless shows and movies available, but I'll only display what you truly want.
There is a significant drawback, though—you sometimes need to search manually, which means retraining the AI from showing me newer things I want to explore.
Likewise, Nike has created an interesting solution for the challenge of shoe sizing, as the differences between brands can be confusing; Bata may have one fit, UK sizes another, and US sizes something else entirely. Nike offers a feature that allows you to just take a picture and analyzes your feet to find the right fit somehow. AI has become quite straightforward nowadays; previously, we wouldn’t know the solutions, but now with AI, it determines the shape for you. Another point is that while I may have a wide variety of options available, the system can use AI to suggest the best products based on my preferences and fit.
AI plays a crucial role in ensuring a better experience
AI performs all the matching tasks to analyze this data and understand the global situation. To summarize, there are three main points:
1. Focus on immediate care
2. Connect them with some memory of the product or consumer
3. Take a proactive approach using AI.
Essentially, it's about recalling known information. For instance, consider the airline industry. They can track data about specific flights and anticipate delays, allowing them to alert travelers proactively. Airlines like Indigo also provide SMS notifications to keep passengers informed. They aim to utilize AI to enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction because nobody wants to rush to the airport only to be delayed for an hour after navigating busy traffic.
Now consider Starbucks. When you visit a Starbucks, many of us have specific preferences for our coffee, particularly in the US. In India, the scenario is slightly different since guests often accept whatever is served without complaints. Conversely, American customers are more accustomed to their specific When someone arrives at Starbucks, the AI tracks their preferences and can remember their name. Additionally, the coffee choice might change based on the time of day—different flavors in the morning versus the evening. AI plays a crucial role in ensuring a better experience here.
Also Read: WAVES 2025: Burgeoning India's Orange Economy
How can we ensure data security amid all these?
We must respect users and avoid making them feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, it’s important to communicate clearly what we’re doing with the information and equally emphasize what we’re not doing with it, as that can be more significant. Lastly, if users perceive trust and value in exchange for their personal details, they are likely to provide that information willingly.