What Are Hyperadoptive Customers, and How Do They Benefit SMBs?

What are hyperadoptive customers?

Hyperadoptive customers are power users who rapidly change behaviors and are more willing to try new brands, products and technologies. They stand in stark contrast to shoppers of the past, who may have casually walked into a store to discover its offerings. Today’s consumers can research every detail of your business and its products and services before setting foot in your storefront or clicking on your e-commerce website. 

This “rapid and simultaneous uptake in new behaviors,” defined as “hyperadoption” by Forrester Research’s vice president and principal analyst, Dr. James McQuivey, in 2015, has shifted how retail brands market themselves and try to retain customers.

What are the benefits of hyperadoptive customers?

Hyperadoptive customers demand innovation. Businesses feed this demand with technological advances, including new social media platforms, online selling, sophisticated apps and frequent tech updates. These customers drive change in every industry.

An excellent example of this can be seen in China, where the GDP has grown more than 32 times since 1990. China has the largest population in the world – one that has been through unprecedented changes over the years. The population is used to adopting and adapting quickly, along with shifts in government, technology and the economy. Their ability to adopt and adapt at a faster-than-average rate is poised to give China a global competitive advantage.

Businesses also stand to gain a competitive advantage when they satisfy customers who are accustomed to pivots and shifts. When you acquire hyperadoptive customers, your company benefits from their desire and ability to adopt, adapt and push for more. Businesses can target new products at more change-friendly customers and gain essential knowledge to move their company forward.

What are the challenges of hyperadoptive customers?

New product costs are lower than ever, and customers can access what they need quickly and easily. Along with a multitude of options, hyperadoptive customers aren’t afraid of making new choices and leaving behind products and services that don’t meet their needs. 

Hyperadopters’ rapidly changing behavior means brands must carefully consider each step in the customer lifecycle.

• Hyperadoptive customers expect a personalized experience. Today’s brands must dedicate as much time to customer engagement and the customer experience as they do to customer acquisition. Hyperadoptive customers don’t expect things to work as they always do. They expect a personalized experience, which takes time and effort and is often challenging to scale.
• Hyperadoptive customers require a data-driven marketing plan. Companies must integrate their small business marketing efforts into their overall customer relationships. They must manage customer relationships carefully, harnessing data to inform the customer experience and improve customer retention rates. 
• Hyperadoption can lead to hyperabandonment. With so many options available, hyperadopters are always ready to try the next thing – and it’s easy for them to do so. In a digital world, customers don’t have to leave home to try a new brand or product. Your goal as a brand is to ensure they never have a reason to turn to a competitor.

How can a business identify hyperadoptive customers?

Identifying hyperadoptive customers is a challenge. First, companies must understand emerging trends and offerings from other brands in their industry and other industries. 

Once you gather an initial customer group, conduct customer surveys to obtain feedback so you can better understand each segment of your customer base. Have your target customers used other brands? Are they happy to change brands? What do they want to see from your brand?

Analyzing sales data is critical for retaining hyperadopters, helping brands deliver more targeted and personalized experiences and showing when it’s time to refocus efforts.

Tips for keeping hyperadoptive customers satisfied

It’s crucial to keep hyperadoptive customers happy and loyal. Consider the following when designing a plan to retain hyperadoptive customers. 

• Ensure your offerings make their lives easier. Hyperadoptive customers want to see positive and impactful results daily. Your products and services should make their lives easier and more efficient. When you succeed, they’re more willing to share their experiences and serve as brand ambassadors. If your product delivers something that makes their life undeniably better each day, you will have an easier time retaining hyperadoptive users.
• Solicit and address customer feedback. Once you’ve onboarded customers, keep them by soliciting the right feedback. Address or eliminate issues as quickly as possible to avoid hyperadopters moving on to your competitors. Regularly review what your users find most important and prioritize those needs. Consider how you can improve critical areas every day. This kind of customer obsession will help keep your hyperadoptive customers satisfied.
• Focus on the customer experience. As you learn more about hyperadopters, continue to focus on the customer experience. In a 2021 study by Twilio, more than half of consumers said they were likely to become repeat buyers if they experienced a more personalized shopping experience with a retailer. However, only one in four businesses said they have the technology to consistently deliver personalized experiences. That gap is typically attributed to department silos and old structures.
• Work toward omnichannel personalization. Ensure marketing, IT and data analytics teams work together to deliver omnichannel personalization. Fast and accurate sales data is more important than ever. In 2021, marketers reported using an average of six data management tools – double the number they used just three years earlier. The increased use of artificial intelligence is even more astonishing, growing from 55% to 89%. Data-driven intelligence and hyper-personalization will continue to help companies identify and retain hyperadoptive customers.

The demands of today’s customers drive tomorrow’s products

While hyperadopters may be quick to move between brands, they ultimately push companies forward and assist them in gaining a competitive advantage. Companies willing to move beyond traditionally siloed teams and strive for increased real-time data will find they are better positioned to compete in a customer-centric environment. 

Andrew Martins contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.