Marketing Archives - Page 4 of 8 - Omnichannel Personalization SaaS Solution

15 Mar
2016

The Road to Omni Channel: PepsiCo vs Dr Pepper Snapple Group

The 2016 NectarOM Road to Omni Channel Tournament kicked off with two titans of refreshment squaring off to show which shopper marketing heavyweight was best positioned to win in the fast approaching world of ecommerce, omni channel, and data-driven marketing. Unfortunately for Texas stalwart, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, NY-based PepsiCo beat them so badly it will go down as one of the worst blow outs this year with a final score of 102 – 68.

The Play-By-Play

Both institutions are at a distinct disadvantage compared to the more established “conferences” like retail that have transactional data, but they’ve both invested heavily in their digital channels and are beginning to resemble the more established competitors. That said, it’s clear Dr Pepper Snapple Group is closer to cardboard and end-caps than omni channel and personalization. It looked like Dr Pepper was going to have a bright spot in the game when they used the Batman v Superman movie promotion introduce image recognition and can packaging to access extended comic content. Unfortunately, it was very similar to the program Frito Lay did with DC Comics for the Green Lantern movie back in 2011 so they saw the play coming a mile away. Aside from that, the only other player Dr Pepper had involved in the scoring was Email and it’s numbers were very pedestrian showing off nothing more than a batch and blast style.

PepsiCo, however, quieted a lot of critics with their performance. They played with a chip on their shoulder showing a Consumer Packaged Goods company could hang with any team. The PepsiCo enterprise website made some fans right from the start with a little known program that allowed people to sign up for the “Brands You Love.” While there were a few missed assist opportunities in how they could use that self-reported data, we were impressed with the attempt. That start put Dr Pepper Snapple Group on their heels for the rest of the game.

Once you moved beyond the enterprise site you couldn’t help but be impressed by the other starters on Pepsico’s roster. There was the “Find Your Match” function on the PepsiCo Beverage Facts site which offered some pretty cool functionality and exposed us to their potential. Room for improvement, but extreme potential was a reoccurring theme when compared the Beverage Facts site with Frito Lay’s loyalty program equivalent, Snack Perks. While they didn’t work well together you could see how they will eventually click and when they do it will make a big impact. PepsiCo’s recent ecommerce tests and hires, their recently launched Hello Goodness vending strategy and past innovations like Social Vending have also contributed to the company’s omni channel future by giving the enterprise direct access to the purchase process.

You would expect both organization’s promotions to provide some bench support. From an omni channel perspective it was consistent, but surprisingly average. Social channels were heavily employed by both companies and the content was available in multiple channels, but there was no sense of personalization or recognition of the participants beyond operational tracking like how many times you entered. At the end of the game it was clear the real stars of the game were PepsiCo’s evergreen programs which are destined for the pros.

Key Stats

Examining how the teams did at applying omni channel strategies and personalization techniques we realize this was really a difference of players over play. For the most part, PepsiCo just brought better athletes, but there were some great areas where the play was elevated …

Cross Channel Experiences – If you look at how both teams passed visitors between channels it was fundamentally strong in promotions, but there were way too many turnovers in the evergreen efforts where they could have connected the consumer to the entire portfolio.
Operations – Just like free throws in a basketball game, missing basic messaging and channel follow through can ruin an experience. Neither team performed well in this fundamental area and for up-and-coming conferences like Shopper Marketing it’s a requirement.
Recognition – Both teams did a good job finding ways to recognize visitors, but PepsiCo definitely took it to a new level with understanding the visitor’s preferences.
Consumer Journey – Looking to the future, it’s clear PepsiCo’s made a commitment to understanding the consumer’s journey. Using location-based retargeting, personal preference programs and portfolio solutions over brand promotions were all areas where they excelled.
Recommendations – If you were going to pick one statistics category that put PepsiCo in a different league than Dr Pepper Snapple Group it would be in this category. Their focus is on bringing a flavor or product solution to their customers based on whatever they are doing and it really paid off in this game.

Conclusion

If Dr Pepper Snapple Group ever hopes to make a run in this tournament in future years they will have to focus on the basics – great channel execution, namely mobile, and commit to an omni channel approach. Their promotional approach has been done for years and it limits their ability to create a real connection with their fans. Today they look a little like the mid-major competitors Vanderbilt or Monmouth in that other tournament – a solid program, but always on the bubble and running the risk of being left out of the tournament.

PepsiCo, on the other hand, looks reminiscent of those programs on the cusp of something special like a University of Texas or an Iowa State University. They’ve assembled great talent, they’re well coached, they work together as a team, but consistency will be their undoing. Getting to that consistency is easier said than done considering the brands in the portfolio are used to playing by their own rules.

Changes in Pepsico’s Digital and Shopper Marketing has helped everyone understand they’re “better together,” but will it sustain them against the powerhouse conferences like Retail or Telco? We’ll have to see, but they are certainly off to a good start after this first game.

Tune in here for Game Two: //nectarom.com/telecom-conference/

14 Mar
2016

SELECTION MONDAY – Let the “Madness” Begin

By Bryon Morrison, Commissioner of The 2016 NectarOM Road to Omni Channel

Every year March always brings a little “madness” into the office. This year is no exception. Marketers across the nation are setting their brackets, but not necessarily for the “teams” you’d expect. This year at the the NectarOM Headquarters the NectarOM selection committee was hard at work finalizing the 2016 Road to Omni Channel Tournament bracket.

Over the last month, each member of the NectarOM selection committee evaluated a vast amount of data and industry information for each industry category or “conference” during the selection process. A review and discussion of the brands performance based on product sector, fiscal performance, e-commerce endeavors, innovation, and their use of digital – determined selections, seeding, and bracketing.

Selection Methodology
After examining a wide field of competitors the NectarOM selection committee determined the 2016 Road to Omni Channel Tournament bracket would be divided into 4 conferences: Consumer Electronics, Shopper Marketing, Telecom and Department Store Retail.

Qualification and seeding for the tournament was based on the following criteria:

Digital and Brick and Mortar Retailer
Fortune 500 Company
The team communicates with customers in at least three channels
They have established domain authority
They have been recognized as innovators in other studies
They have been recognized in other third party evaluations as leaders in their respective categories

The Teams
After a grueling deliberation the NectarOM selection committee has finalized its brand bracket and is proud to announce the companies included in the 2016 Road to Omni Channel Tournament.

Department Store Conference
Nordstrom
JCPenney

Telecom Conference
AT&T
Verizon

Consumer Electronics Conference
Best Buy
GameStop

Shopper Marketing Conference
PepsiCo
Dr Pepper Snapple Group

Game Scoring
Over the course of the next two weeks these eight institutions will go head-to-head in the hopes of being named The 2016 Road to Omni Channel Champion. To have a better understanding of what these companies are doing in Omni Channel Marketing, each brand will undergo the NectarOM Customer Journey Audit. This audit evaluates eleven communication channels, 6 degrees of personalization, and each brand’s adaptability to customer knowledge. Covering more than 150 review points, this audit provides valuable insight into customer lifecycle, consistency, marketing gaps and opportunities through the view of the consumer and results in a final score illustrating their prowess in Omni Channel Marketing.

Tournament Schedule
The Road to Omni Channel Tournament will start Tuesday, March 15, with a highly anticipated match up of Consumer Package Goods titans, PepsiCo and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, from the Shopper Marketing conference.

March 14: Selection Monday
March 15: Game One: PepsiCo vs Dr Pepper Snapple Group
March 16: Game Two: AT&T vs Verizon
March 21: Game Three: JCPenney vs Nordstrom
March 22: Game Four: Best Buy vs GameStop
March 28-31: Round Two Playoffs
April 6: Tournament Championship Game

Tune in here for Game One: //nectarom.com/shopper-marketing-conference/

Tell us in the comments below which brand you think has what it takes to win it all.

10 Mar
2016

The NectarOM Road to Omni Channel

By Bryon Morrison, Commissioner of The 2016 NectarOM Road to Omni Channel Tournament

Every year March introduces a special kind of “madness” for basketball fans, but this year ushers in a new kind of competition for advanced marketers. 2016 is the inaugural year of The NectarOM Road to Omni Channel Tournament where some of America’s most recognized traditional brick and mortar marketers will be competing against each other to show their prowess in Omni Channel Marketing and how they are evolving in a digital world.
This tournament will have many similarities with that other tournament. A wide field of brands from more than 30 industry categories, also known as their “conferences” (i.e., Specialty Retail, Telco, Electronics Retailers, CPG, etc.) will be evaluated. The eight most qualified companies will compete in their respective industry categories, as well as in cross-category match ups. Each team’s professional audit score for how they respond to prospects and customers online, in mobile and in outbound messaging channels will dictate their “score” and ability to move up in the brackets.

The Need For Omnichannel
A company’s ability to serve their customers in all possible channels has become table stakes thanks to “digital brands” like Amazon, Netflix, Apple and Google. Those companies created in the last 15-20 years were built on the assumption that customers and data are of paramount value. They already know they can make a greater business impact by offering a seamless, holistic experience across all channels. Anyone that’s bought something on Amazon will attest to the superior experience associated with their understanding of your needs and preemptively introducing solutions that just seem to fit every situation.
So what about the predecessors to those digital brands – those large companies that are the foundation of American commerce? Those industry icons have spent years investing in brick and mortar locations or spent endless time and resources driving consumers to a physical location. Most of these companies deal with batched data or backward looking analytics for insights so their foundation is infinitely different than their more digital contemporaries. As a result, the pace of change has been much more difficult for them to manage. Case in point, the internet and ecommerce required a game of catch up and before they perfected things their reality shifted again with the introduction of mobile and social.

The New Reality
The evolution of brick and mortar oriented companies is a requirement and they know it. While store sales dominate those of e-commerce that is changing. As an example, ecommerce outpaced physical store sales 5-to-1 last year. In addition, the companies struggling with surrounding a prospect or customer and serving them in their preferred channel are watching $41 billion in sales move to a competitor due to poor customer service. And sales don’t necessarily get them back in the door since 64% of consumers choose their favorite brands based on experience over price.
The future for companies that cannot embrace this change is bleak. Smart companies are committing resources to make their customer experience seamless online and off. Unfortunately, the reality is more companies are talking omnichannel rather than providing it. Digital competitors, unencumbered by expensive physical infrastructures, are prone to rapidly test and execute against omnichannel strategies while traditional marketers often use it as a soundbite for stockholder meetings.

The Competition and the Brackets
The NectarOM Road to Omnichannel Tournament will show which companies are truly investing in and delivering a superior experience across all channels for existing and potential customers. We will see who has put together the best channels (i.e., “players”) and who is achieving a high level of execution in each channel (i.e., “player stats”).
The competitors included in the tournament this year will be introduced on Selection Monday, March 14. To follow the team selection process, the games updates and stats you can…

Click here and watch for updates on our blog
Follow the tournament on Twitter with #TR2O and #MarchMadness
Sign up for email alerts by signing up here

See which brands made the cut: //nectarom.com/selection-monday-let-madness-begin/

07 Feb
2016

Omnichannel Today: Week of February 8

Omnichannel Today

Retailers are starting to thrive again thanks to eCommerce. Which retailers will survive?

The Rise and Demise of Ecommerce

Since the end of the 1990s, ecommerce has gone from minor curiosity to full-blown economic powerhouse. Amazon started out selling books by mail and then took over the e-book market with its Kindle devices and AZW e-book format. A few years ago, most people still thought of Amazon as a book seller, and they probably spent as much time or more shopping for books at Barnes and Noble as they did browsing online retailers. Today, most people know that Amazon is the biggest online retailer and that it sells everything from electronics and kitchen gadgets to auto parts.

How To Connect With Website Visitors in an Authentic Way

At the core of content marketing – and much of the rest of modern web marketing tactics – sits a single concept: connecting with visitors. It’s all too common for companies to lose sight of this core issue, pumping out meaningless, worthless, inauthentic content to fill space on their blogs, YouTube channels, and social media accounts. Or, even worse, to make genuine attempts to connect and nonetheless fall short due to a perceived lack of authenticity.

3 Things Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Successful Ecommerce Brands

Whether you run a brick-and-mortar business or are thinking of starting a digital-based company, there is much to learn from the success of large ecommerce firms around the world. No matter what the industry, online businesses have shaken up the way people buy and sell, communicate, share and learn in all corners of the globe.

10 Tech Tasks Small Businesses Should Outsource

Outsourcing can be a great way for small businesses and startups to take care of tedious tasks while also boosting productivity and saving money. By outsourcing technology-related necessities, small business owners and employees can focus on more important responsibilities, like sales, customer service and more, without hiring more in-house employees.

5 Omnichannel Truths for 2016

Facing 2016, we decided to take stock of what we’ve experienced and learned as marketers. It’s more important than ever to truly understand your target audience, to focus on improving the customer experience, and to provide value with your advertising by way of personalization. The only difference that comes with operating in a digital environment is the speed at which we must adapt to our customers’ continuously changing habits and preferences across all channels. Thankfully, there are some tools and strategies that have helped us out greatly along the way.

A seamless customer experience is priority #1 in your omnichannel marketing strategy

We should be happy to live in a time where our products and services can reach a global audience. That said, each one of our hundreds of thousands of customers has a unique set of preferences when it comes to communicating with your brand.

Data Management Platforms can organize your customer information and prime it for action. Marketers can use this kind of software to reach customers and deliver relevant content across multiple touchpoints, including web, mobile apps, social media, email, and text. The actions that a potential buyer makes on one channel should be remembered in a unified customer profile that carries over across all channels.

Given the endless amount of options that your customers have access to online, it’s important for remove as many barriers to communications as possible. Making your customer experience seamless across all channels will make them happy and absolutely drive your revenue. Speaking of which…

Mobile marketing matters.

While it’s important to deliver a strong customer experience on every channel, marketers should understand that no other channel has risen so sharply in growth, use, and importance than mobile. Mobile = Money, and nowhere this year was that more obvious than the record-breaking Thanksgiving sales weekend that spanned from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, where mobile hits accounted for a whopping 49% of all shopping visits across eCommerce sites.

Not only was more money spent in eCommerce than ever before, but the amount of mobile browsing and purchases increased so much that the crowds at brick-and-mortar stores looked noticeably thinner on Black Friday.

Marketing automation boosts efficiency and effectiveness.

It’s important for today’s omnichannel brand to be able to provide content with impeccable timing. It’s possible to automate this process using data from your digital marketing hub, meaning that you’ll put your customer information to work to generate real-time advertisements and messages that are personally relevant to each one of your buyers.

Why wait? A Data Management Platform never sleeps, and it’s available to message your customers instantly based on preset triggers that adapt your marketing efforts on the turn of a dime. Don’t make your customers wait to be engaged: automate your marketing to improve each campaign’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Your content must be useful and shareable.

One of the great marketing challenges of 2015 was learning to adapt to the AdBlocking software that became a standard in web browsers on both PC and mobile channels. We as an industry came to terms with the fact that the traditional ad died a long time ago: the new standard for engaging with customers is based around providing them with relevant, personalized content that adds value to their lives.

We saw countless examples of this as Facebook adapted its Newsfeed to embrace video, reaching an average view count of 8 billion per day and going toe-to-toe with YouTube. The key to this incredible growth? Promoting high-quality content that can be shared within social circles. When your content is just that good, people will advertise for you and sing your praises without any added prompting.

In other words, you get what you give. That’s a lesson that NectarOM learned when working with Avocados From Mexico to double their Facebook likes to over 1,000,000 in total over the span of just three months. NectarOM and Avocados From Mexico enticed its users with shareable, quality content such as recipes, giveaways, and eBooks that were passed on to friends and family and grew their social media presence in a very organic way.

Marketing personalization increases customer loyalty and engagement.

As much as marketers would love it if all of their customers were found in one place, the fact is that we live in an age where our products are connecting with more people than ever before. Each one of your customers has their individual preference for communicating with your brand, whether it’s over your website, your Facebook page, your mobile app, through emails, your brick-and-mortar store or some combination of all of the above.

Personalization has become much, much more than just a “first name” tag at the beginning of a mass email. It’s about understanding your customer based on their interactions with your brand, their shopping history, and the critical life events they choose to share on social media. Learn it, embrace it, and make it a part of your marketing toolkit moving forward.

15 Jun
2015

Personalization: Making Customers Feel Like a Diamond in the Rough

Everyone loves feeling special.

This is obvious across almost all aspects of life. In the past few years, we’ve seen this concept strongly resonate with one group of people:

Marketers.

In the past three years, the idea of personalizing shopping experiences – both in stores and online – has taken off. Generalized messages and cold, impersonal marketing are in the past. Personalization is an integral part of CRM.

And for companies in the jewelry industry, personalizing is more important than ever. Because of a shift in purchasing power and increase of technology, today’s jewelry retailers must incorporate personalization into their marketing strategies if they want to make a strong impression on potential buyers. With personalization, jewelers can make their customers feel special – like a diamond in the rough. Without personalization, jewelers run the risk of becoming overshadowed by their tech-savvy, relevant competitors.

Why personalize now?

Most industries have already integrated personalization in their marketing strategies. But now, more than ever, is the best moment for leaders in the jewelry industry to start personalizing if they have not already. There are three key reasons that jewelers should be personalizing their marketing.

Today’s consumers expect marketing personalization. Millennials, the largest purchasing power, require their shopping experiences to have relevant content. According to an article in Entrepreneur, “Millennials want to know a company is paying attention to their specific needs.” The publication also stresses that, when it comes to marketing, “one size does not fit all” – size being a particular product. Companies need to give this powerful consumer group what they want; otherwise, shoppers will take their business elsewhere.
Everyone else is doing it. With nearly every industry catering to a specific customer’s needs, companies lacking the ability to personalize will stand out in the worst way possible. Companies with generalized marketing content do not resonate with consumers the same way that personalized marketing can. Personalization has the ability to speed up the purchasing process by providing relevant content and customer recognition. Think about it – if two jewelers offer similar products in quality and price, a consumer is more likely to purchase through the retailer that provides relevant content via personalization.
Jewelry sales need as much help as they can get, as consumers allocate their expenditures elsewhere. While diamonds and pearls used to be the sole representations of status and wealth, today’s consumers are using other types of products to make a statement. It’s no coincidence that jewelry sales have decreased while technology sales increase (think: smartphones, Apple Watches, et all). Jewelry is traditionally gifted to loved ones; however, today’s consumers now give the latest tech to their loved ones. While personalization may not stop consumers from purchasing products in other industries, it can still seriously improve a jeweler’s ROI. Aberdeen reports that personalized emails improve clickthrough rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10%, and 40% of consumers buy more from retailers that personalize a shopping experience across channels. Implementing personalization cannot prevent customers from buying new technology; however, it can attract more attention to the company and its products.

Personalizing in the Jewelry Industry

There are several ways retailers should implement personalization into their marketing. The following must-have features can make a customer feel like a company genuinely cares about their needs. And, when a customer feels this way, their loyalty to the brand increases.

High-end retailer Neiman Marcus offers shoppers a variety of recommended products to browse.

Relevant recommendations: One of the easiest ways to woo and win customers is to provide relevant recommendations. Janrain & Harris Interactive found that 74% of online consumers get frustrated when websites offer content that has nothing to do with their interests. In the digital sphere, marketers can use algorithms based off past purchases and clicks to determine what a customer may be interested in. A display of the potential buys can be displayed via email or on a website. When executed correctly, these recommended products show the customer you can cater to their specific tastes.
Nordstrom sends shopping cart abandonment emails to redirect traffic back to its site.

Shopping cart abandonment: With the ability to browse several ecommerce sites at once, it can be easy for customers to get distracted and forget about items in their shopping cart. According to Business Insider, approximately $4 trillion in merchandise will be abandoned in online shopping carts this year. Shopping cart abandonment emails can be the reminder or the final push a consumer needs to make a purchase.
Digital salespeople: Jewelry can be a tricky sell over the Internet. Sizing and fit is always a challenge when shopping online, and returns can be a hassle. To avoid losing customers across digital entities, companies can consider employing digital “salespeople” that can answer customer inquiries. These salespeople – or, rather, robots – have systematically generated responses to commonly asked questions from shoppers. Accessibility and transparency is important in any company, and digital platforms are no exception.
Seamless omnichannel: Retailers cannot personalize across one channel and completely ignore another. Synching customer profiles across all channels creates an ideal, omnichannel shopping experience. Consistency is integral to creating a convenient shopping experience. For example, if a customer starts shopping online and hopes to continue browsing while on the go via mobile device, a retailer should make this transition as easy as possible. Consider the format of retailer Revolve, which stores and synchronizes a customer’s favorites online and on mobile app.

Intrigued by the powers of personalization? Learn about NectarOM’s omnichannel personalization, or why we call personalization a long term investment.

09 Jun
2015

How Data Makes us Healthier

When people think big data, certain industries come to mind. Government, retail, health care and financial services top the list of enterprises collecting and capitalizing on customer data.

But as personalization and omnichannel have become more of an expectation across all markets, new industries have started using customer data with the goal of improving a consumer’s experience.

One industry in particular stands out because of recent data collection and management advances. Through smartphone apps and fitness gadgets, the health and wellness industry is using data to revamp and refuel sales.

Why should we care what the health industry does?

The health and wellness industry holds high status in the marketplace. With Nike named the top brand for the largest purchasing power, we can expect Nike and other wellness enterprises to stay relevant in the market by incorporating the latest technology into marketing strategy. Based off these innovations, companies in any industry can get inspired by these groundbreaking new ways to use data.

So how is the health and wellness industry using customer data?

nike+ run — Nike+ Running lets users track their workouts…and their friends’ too.

Smartphone Apps

Smartphone apps that focus on health have been around for years. These apps were the original building blocks for exposing health and fitness to data. Because of their initial influence, apps have a key role in the health industry’s data interest.

The most popular smartphone health apps come in the form of tracking and managing workouts. Smartphone apps like Nike+ Running record and store data from a workout. The app measures various elements of a workout, including distance covered, calories burned, average pace, and duration of workout.

These are successful because they let users access and manage their data easily. A major motivator for fitness gurus is tracking and viewing progress, which can be easily done through a simple download on a smartphone.

And some apps offer more than just tracking data. Nike+ Running can sync to social media accounts and notify Facebook friends about big accomplishments, like longest run or fastest pace. With this multi-channel development, smartphone apps are getting praise across a variety of platforms.

Fitness wearables

Smartphone apps typically only collect data during a workout. However, technological advances are helping fitness fanatics track their health 24/7.

Wearable devices help consumers manage their health with an in-depth, convenient approach. They come in different varieties and forms – from the Fitbit to watches to diamond crested accessories. These fitness devices measure specific elements of health, such as steps counted or hours slept. The device then processes the information into a consumer’s personal profile, which the consumer can manage at his or her leisure.

In today’s market, there is no doubt about the potential for these fitness appliances. The only debate in this arena is over which wearable is best.

With the ability to constantly track activity, sleep, heart rate, calories and location, fitness wearables are convenient and easy answer to a healthier lifestyle.

Specialized omnichannel gadgets

Data usage is not limited to fitness tech – personal hygiene is using consumer data as well.

Personal hygiene may seem like an unlikely candidate for data usage. However, the dental industry is starting to focus on personalization and omnichannel, placing a need for customer data.

In a recent AdAge article, writer Kate Kaye explores an innovation that is redefining dental hygiene. Beam Brush is a toothbrush-inspired enterprise. It connects its users to a network of 95,000 dentists and discounts based on points awarded after using the brush. Users track their teeth cleaning activity and are rewarded with loyalty programs. All activity is synchronized to a user profile in a mobile device.

Despite its ties to teeth, Beam Brush emphasizes that it is not a toothbrush company. Instead, Beam Brush is more invested in collecting health data.

Beam Technologies founder and CEO Alex Frommeyer reportedly said, “If we know there are a million people in Beam’s ecosystem and we know what behavioral triggers we tend to see with high rates of gum disease, then that insight can be translated to a dentist when we see those triggers hit.”

This insight Frommeyer references can prevent dental damage and increase loyalty programs. This is extremely powerful for companies, as an increase in loyalty likely results in improved ROI.

Takeaways

Besides getting inspired from learning about the latest and greatest ways that unlikely vendors are using data, there are some key things marketers should recognize from these recent advancements.

First, it’s important to recognize that if one unlikely (but large) industry is using customer data, several others are sure to follow. This means that more businesses will utilize customer data. With more entities capitalizing on data, consumers will likely be pressed to share more personal info. With more data readily available, marketers should consider the potential for third-party data integration.

Another important takeaway is to acknowledge how willingly these users share personal data with these devices. The reason some users are letting their movements be tracked 24/7 (read: FitBit) is because they feel safe and secure in their data protection. Marketers should realize that, when customers feel like their data will be safely guarded, they will share more.

The final takeaway is that that there is so much more opportunity for customer data usage. With this notable amount of data integration in a short span of time, marketers must anticipate and prepare for upcoming technology innovations and trends. Marketers should stay informed via tech news outlets, to ensure they don’t get left behind in data usage.

27 May
2015

Evolution of Omnichannel: Infographic

The term omnichannel has only been around for a few years, but the concept has undergone massive transformation since its conception in 2010. In the past five years, omnichannel has evolved from an unfamiliar concept, to a trendy buzzword, to a marketing must-have. As omnichannel continues to change alongside new digital trends, one thing stays the same – the customer’s desire for the convenience found in a seamless experience across all platforms.

Earlier this year, we wrote a brief history of omnichannel. Now we’re giving you the same in-depth information in a visual form that’s easy to digest. Check out our infographic of the evolution of omnichannel.

Be sure to capitalize on omnichannel marketing to stand out among your competitors or win over the largest purchasing power. Need help getting started? Head over to our omnichannel personalization solution for some guidance.

20 May
2015

The Biggest Losers of Google’s Mobilegeddon

Last month, we wrote about preparing for Google’s algorithm changes and the importance of optimizing mobile sites. Now that the changes have been in place for a few weeks, we’re taking a look at how Mobilegeddon is challenging some of today’s biggest websites.

Mobilegeddon Losers Infographic — ***Click to enlarge.***

The biggest losers in Mobilegeddon

Even though Google gave companies plenty of notice, several sites took a hard hit from the algorithm update. Many sites did not optimize for mobile prior to Mobilegeddon.This lowered their Google ranking, or visibility.

Lil Wayne’s youngmoney.com ranked as one of the worst sites for mobile users – and for good reason. The mobile site is poorly formatted, displaying an abundance of blank white space and tiny links that are impossible to press. Searchmetrics reports that youngmoney.com saw a dramatic 76% decline in visibility.

Some of the biggest websites on the Internet are seeing negative effects from their mobile unfriendliness too. Reddit, known as “the front page of the Internet,” saw a 27% decrease in their visibility. NBCSports and SongLyrics saw similar drops.

But while these webpages may be down, don’t count them out just yet!

Reddit is working to improve its visibility by implementing a mobile site. The site is still undergoing maintenance, as Reddit works to add and fix certain features. But mobile users can use the mobile site, which includes larger links, less text, and a fresh look. Once the mobile version is complete, Reddit can expect their Google ranking to improve.

Is your company feeling the effects from Mobilegeddon? Be sure your mobile site is effectively optimized so your site doesn’t end up at the bottom of Google’s search engine.

13 May
2015

Importance of Location Data in Content Marketing

With the increasing integration of technology and data in sales, there has never been a better time to use location intelligence in marketing. Using location data is too easy and too beneficial to ignore. Location features help businesses stand out amongst competitors and are a staple for today’s leaders in marketing. As the concept grows, customers are beginning to expect it when using technology in their shopping experience.

Location intelligence is a must for companies that want to be successful. Read on to find out why.

It’s too easy

Working with all types of data is easy, and location data is no exception.

With a quality Data Management Platform, businesses can store, manage, organize and analyze their data in one entity. Because companies are utilizing DMPs more than ever, there is now an abundance of platforms in the marketplace ranging in price and features. With several types of platforms on the market, companies are able to choose the DMP that best suits their needs in terms of performance ability and price.

The right DMP makes data easy to use and understand. And finding the right DMP is too easy for companies not to utilize.

It’s an asset to businesses

When companies think “big data” there are certain metrics that come to mind. Typically, businesses look at what is being purchased or who is doing the purchasing.

Amazon Local customizes its deals based on customers' location — Amazon Local customizes its deals based on customers’ location

Location data is often underrated, but just as important.

Location data gives insight to consumer behavior based on a key demographic. When analyzed, this data shows geographic patterns and trends. Companies can use this information to segment their audience. These segments can then be targeted with personalized messages specifically designed to their wants and needs.

One company that utilizes the power of location data is Amazon. Through their Amazon Local feature, the company sends its consumers deals they may be interested in based on their location. For example, emails that I receive are based on my home address and contain offers just a few miles away from my house. All offers show how far away the brick-and-mortars are, which can be helpful for consumers who don’t want to make a far drive to use their deal.

It’s a customer favorite

If there’s anyone who values location data more than businesses, it’s their audience.

As businesses are beginning to include location data into their services, customers have become exposed to new interactive features that rely on location data.

One of the most loved features that uses location data includes a GPS element that shows shoppers where the nearest store location is. This feature is often available on apps or websites. Some companies have expounded on this ability by adding in-store pickup options for customers when they checkout online.

The ability to purchase online and pick up in-store is not universally used by all retailers – at least, not yet. A Forrester report says that 50% of consumers expect the option to buy online and pick up in-store. As companies gradually rely more on more on technology in marketing, this already large fraction will likely increase. Companies who have not implemented location services like this need to seriously consider doing so; otherwise, they risk being left behind with the technologically-impaired.

Walmart's blog shows its app, Shop My Store, which lets customers find items in the brick-and-mortar. — Walmart’s blog shows its app, Shop My Store, which lets customers find items in the brick-and-mortar.

Consumers also love retailers that incorporate item locators into their business strategy. Large stores like Walmart can often be overwhelming. However, by introducing an app that shows an item’s availability and aisle location, Walmart turns a headache-inducing shopping experience into a 5-minute spree. Employees have commented that the feature, in some cases, has actually saved sales by making the shopping experience easier and more convenient for the customer.

Services that incorporate location data work because customers love them. Features with location intelligence make shopping experiences more convenient. And, because an easy shopping experience correlates with a powerful shopping experience, customers prefer marketing that considers location data.

Hungry for more?

Love reading about the latest in the datasphere? Learn more about some of today’s top data trends, or check out some recent case studies from Forbes that inspired this post.

Tag: Marketing