Categories
Local Marketing Activation Performance Marketing Strategy

5 Last-Minute Ways Retailers Can Boost Holiday Sales

The holiday shopping season is a critical time for most retailers. Although history tells us there’s only a slight lift in retail sales during the fourth quarter, most consumers are focused on gift-giving, and retailers want to capitalize on that interest. In 2018, the retail industry saw its poorest performing December since 2009, and as […]

Categories
CX + Loyalty Strategy

How to Transform Your Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs are proven marketing tactics for encouraging repeat purchases and fostering brand affinity. However, these programs are not without their challenges. Members don’t engage, or they opt out after only a few months. Why? Because the loyalty program doesn’t meet consumers’ heightened expectations for relevant, personalized brand experiences. When loyalty programs work, the payoff […]

Categories
Channel Partner Marketing

What Metrics Matter in Your MDF Reporting?

Editor’s note: In mid-June, we brought together some of our technology clients — Cisco, Sage, Citrix, and Red Hat — to discuss challenges and opportunities associated with market development fund (MDF) programs. We had lively debates and discussions, heard outside perspectives from Forrester and CDW, and shared program best practices. This is the third article […]

Categories
Strategy

Overwhelmed by Your Martech Options? This Should Help.

Choosing the right marketing technology (martech) solution is one of the most important decisions a marketer has to make — and also the most nerve-racking. In recent years, the industry has exploded, with vendors encroaching on each other’s turf, jumping on the latest buzzwords and trends, and even creating new categories. You know you need […]

Categories
CX + Loyalty Performance Marketing Strategy

A Quick Guide to Optimizing Email Metrics

Growing email analytics and big data capabilities are a priority for 42 percent of brands, according to research conducted by Litmus Analytics. Data is the most powerful tool you can use to extend customer profiles, deepen audience segmentation, and, ultimately, personalize experiences. But the sheer volume of information makes it difficult to know where to […]

Categories
Channel Partner Marketing CX + Loyalty Local Marketing Activation Performance Marketing Strategy

How to Succeed in the Expectation Age

Whether purchasing a cup of coffee or a fully loaded car, people expect outstanding experiences every time. We’ve grown enthusiastically reliant on technology to make our brand interactions richer and more satisfying. We can opt in or opt out. We can decide how and when we want to receive offers. We can even shape the […]

Categories
CX + Loyalty Performance Marketing

The Benefits of Bots

Consumers consult Siri for answers, order a pizza from Alexa, and chat with Erica about a bank balance, putting a familiar name to responsive artificial intelligence (AI). In marketing, AI technology is gaining traction in the form of bots, computer programs that seamlessly complete automated tasks. By providing specific information in real time, bots help brands […]

Categories
CX + Loyalty Performance Marketing Strategy

4 Ways to Better Connect With Hispanic Consumers

These days, marketing to a single general population fails to speak to the ever-growing segment of multicultural consumers. Marketers worry that building a standalone multicultural or Hispanic program is too niche or will be underfunded. But they — and the brand — can’t afford to overlook these groups. Ethnic populations are increasing in numbers and consumer influence. […]

Categories
Performance Marketing

Want to Boost In-Store Purchases? Get Your Local Listings in Order.

The new year is a good time for brands to review their business goals and evaluate the effectiveness of their existing marketing efforts across downward distribution channels. For a brand to see the benefits of a brand-to-local strategy, channel partners need to leverage every digital opportunity to increase visibility, engagement, and sales in the year […]

Categories
CX + Loyalty Performance Marketing Strategy

9 Trends for 2019 That QSR Brands Can’t Ignore

Customer expectations for service and experience have never been higher. Regardless of industry, consumers expect near perfection with every interaction, whether it’s a one-click pizza order or the ability to build a dream car online. A July 2018 study by research consulting firm BRP revealed that less than half of restaurants meet customer expectations for things like […]