Beware of ‘winter coating’ your customers
It doesn’t seem to matter how cold it gets: my kids just don’t want to wear their winter coats.
They go out in hoodies, sweaters, or even just T-shirts.
I’m always praying they don’t get ill. I’m also now hoping that when they grow up they won’t get “winter coated.”
If this doesn’t have any special meaning to you, the way to define the way people are now using the term winter coating (at least to someone of my generation) is to refer to “leading someone on,” or possibly “playing head games.”
It’s a more granular version of those concepts, though, focusing specifically on the time we’re about to enter and the context surrounding it.
Although I’m not sure of who started using the term this way, Vice had a helpful explainer:
For example, let’s say an individual is experiencing the winter blues a bit more heavily than they anticipated, and they suddenly crave physical intimacy and emotional comfort. So, against their better judgment, they reach out to that ex they dumped back in May—you know, the one who worshipped the ground they walked on and brought a sense of warmth no one else could provide.
Instead of leaving the poor, broken-hearted ex alone so they can heal, the heartbreaker disturbs their peace and lures them back in for their own selfish desires. Essentially, they’re using them as a “winter coat” during the frigid time of year, with the intent to discard them come spring.
“Ooooh,” I said to myself as I read this, the lightbulb finally coming on. “Just like how brands treat their customers.”
Turncoats?
Let me explain: While retail industry analysts are closely watching what happens over the next few weeks, I think a lot of customer experience (CX) professionals are probably equally focused on how they’ll connect with their audience long after holiday shopping is over.
This has historically been where brands try to resuscitate relationships they’d long abandoned with customers. It happens for a host of reasons:
Maybe the customers in question fell into a low-value segment.
Maybe the brand dialed down the marketing after the customers in question had some particularly bad service encounters.
Maybe the person who manages their e-mail nurture stream quit on them unexpectedly.
For whatever the reason, it’s often seen as good practice to make overtures to customers whose engagement has gone dormant, whether through their inboxes, social media accounts or some other relevant channel.
You create a campaign that reminds them of who you are, maybe harkening back to their purchase histories and possibly enticing them with some special promotions.
It is often assumed that customers will be open and perhaps even excited to re-engage. When they don’t, it’s written off as general consumer apathy. Brands might never think customers see it as winter-coating them.
In fact, many are savvy about what’s going on, and they’re not likely to be brought back into the fold.
Love, loss, and what you should wear
To truly rebuild a relationship you need to take your time, offer genuine value and prove you’re now in it for the long haul.
It’s going to take experiences that start with less of a “Remember us?” and more inspiration, guidance on making the most of existing products and perhaps offering exclusive previews of new items or an inside look at your strategy.
Best-in-class CX doesn’t treat customer relationships as a short-term means to achieving healthy numbers during Q1. It doesn’t winter coat them. It wraps them in a consistently warm embrace that reflects how important they are instead.
