New York City -- It’s always fun to speak to customers, especially when the conversation is unexpected. The other day I was being interviewed by someone who told me how excited she was to use Photoregister to register her new KitchenAid dishwasher. As we were talking, she remembered that she had bought a small kitchen appliance a couple months ago, and the paper warranty card was still sitting on her desk, waiting to be filled out. She had registered the KitchenAid dishwasher using our “text to register” service within 24 hours of having it installed – but the paper card from the other appliance still languished on her “to do” pile weeks later.
The conversation made my day, although can't say I'm surprised. When was the last time you filled out a product registration card? All those tiny boxes, all those questions – many people just don’t take the time to complete it and send it in, especially if it’s not required for the warranty or if they’re not clear what they’ll get in return.
Registering products online is a little easier, but you still have to find the website and then type in all your information plus the product model and serial number. Any number of things can go wrong -- the site is temporarily unavailable, or the product drop-down list doesn’t have the option they’re looking for, or the registration form is broken. (Search Twitter for “register warranty” – you’ll see a lot of people annoyed by the product registration process some brands offer.)
Mobile registration, on the other hand, is a whole new ball game. Using Photoregister, consumers simply snap a picture of the icon that’s included on the documentation or the product itself, and send it via text or chat. They’re prompted to provide their personal information, but the product information is automatically entered for them – eliminating frustration and errors. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it works.
The best part is that it’s not only the customer experience that improves. Brands that utilize the Photoregister see huge growth in registration rates, with completion rates as high as 91 percent. Mobile registrations also come in faster, with 44 percent of buyers registering new products in the first week of ownership. That means manufacturers can capitalize on this initial touchpoint early in the game, when consumers are excited about the product and more likely to write a positive review and be receptive to extended warranties and other post-purchase offers.
It’s hard to believe that mobile product registration has only been around for a few years. We’ve watched it grow from a novelty into the channel preferred by today’s busy consumers. We’ve also had the privilege of helping more than 125 global brands implement it and turn the cumbersome, sometimes frustrating, product registration experience into a positive onboarding experience that encourages brand loyalty and increases revenue.
Mobile is the bridge from physical to digital. If you meet buyers where they are, and make registration valuable and easy to do, people will do it and will do it right away. And they’ll thank you for less paper clutter on their desks.