"Almost all members of Generation Z prefer to shop in bricks-and-mortar stores" - IBM & National Retail Federation

Online sales continue to grow in importance, as shown by our compilation of ecommerce growth trends. But for many businesses, the days of double-digit, year-on-year growth in online sales are over. We are now in the era of ecommerce optimization where, to maintain growth, businesses are having to innovate their growth strategy, for making their online experiences engaging and persuasive.

As the world of digital continues to transform, with different generational segments of the population adapting to technology at their own distinct pace, marketers keep a close eye on retail ecommerce trends and developments. With artificial intelligence being hot topic for the future of marketing, trends like conversational commerce, using chatbots and voice search have been closely associated to widely-adopted online shopping habits amongst millennials as…

It doesn’t matter if your product is tangible or not. You’ve got to protect your brand or wave goodbye to your good reputation

One minute you’re loved by consumers, the next… a social pariah. What happened? Failing to listen to consumer feedback Stolen brand identity Business data lost due to poor security Counterfeit goods undermining your reputation One of your team has a meltdown on social

Brand vulnerability

In this age of social media, you can’t avoid having your brand online; but it opens it up to attack. You need to secure your brand’s future potential as a revenue hero and remember… it’s not just about protecting your brand, it’s about promoting it. Having worked in several different industries, I’ve collected valuable tips on protecting your brand’s reputation. From trademarks and copyright issues to domain name registration and employee advocacy. Regardless of your industry, whether your product is tangible or not, this guide will…

From productivity and revenue to a deeper understanding of customer behavior, businesses are living and dying by their CRM data

The need for that data is growing, too. CRM as an industry is expected to boom to over $40 billion by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, the ROI of a well-implemented CRM system is nothing to scoff at, with oft-cited stats ranging anywhere from $5.60 for every dollar spent to $8.71 and beyond. But as is the case when dealing with heaps of data, organizations oftentimes to fall into one of two traps: Those looking at their organizations’ data are drowning in it, completely overwhelmed and in over their heads in terms of what their CRM numbers actually mean. Companies are making data-driven decisions thanks to CRM; however, they’re not focused on the most prudent elements of their business. These problems plague marketers in particular. Econsultancy notes that only 33% of…

Predictive Analytics is the future of marketing

Okay, so that title might be a tad misleading. Especially when you consider my knowledge of football is on a par with my knowledge of forensic mineralogy (a rock is a rock, right?). But I do know about predictions. The hyperbole about Predictive Analytics and its potential power to affect marketing has really ramped up in the last few months. Current industry commentary places Predictive Analytics, in terms of power and effectiveness on the far side of miracles, and in terms of its complexity, on a par with Stephen Hawking’s ‘A brief history of time’.

So, I agree with the general thrust of one of those.

The results. The results are phenomenal. They really are startling – to the extent that I’m looking at our client’s results and going back to our Head of Insight because there’s clearly a mis-type here (there isn’t).  But if we…

The introduction of GDPR may have temporarily isolated the EU customer base

Another day, another GDPR post. This is not to be taken as tongue in cheek, it is the result of a grand change in the laws that govern data privacy in the EU. These changes are having an effect not only on EU borders but around the globe. I’m going to be looking at a few examples of how GDPR has caused the global digital landscape to change. [si_guide_block id="99357" title="Download our Premium Resource – GDPR Briefing for marketing professionals" description="Our round-up and recommendations on practical steps to comply with European Union data protection and privacy legislation."/]

The fear factor

GDPR has struck fear into a lot of businesses that fall inside the EU borders with the idea of costly lawsuits being the main deterrents. It would be crippling to a lot of businesses in a PR sense and in turn, a…

You can add smarts to your experience in one of two main ways: either by adding human intelligence - and with it, a dose of empathy or by adding an automated form of intelligence

‘Work smarter, not harder’ has always been my mantra. While I haven’t always been able to achieve this, it’s still a noble goal. Thankfully, with the latest technologies and sales techniques, it’s now easier than ever to create smarter - and better converting - e-commerce shopping experiences. You can add smarts to your experience in one of two main ways: either by adding human intelligence - and with it, a dose of empathy, or by adding an automated form of intelligence (empathy not included?). On the human side, I’ll share how to plug in online chat agents, and incorporate some neuromarketing principles into your designs. On the automation side, I’ll discuss…

Both brands and consumers are stories in progress - such stories not only simplify what could otherwise be complex facts; they unite everyone in a commonly recognized purpose

Storytelling is as old as gathering beneath the evening skies around a campfire to listen to tales, which make people laugh, cry and even question themselves. People think narratively. Filmmakers like the Coen Brothers or Steven Spielberg vividly illustrate the point.

Jungian Archetypes

As a brand psychologist, I often equate the story’s ‘hero’ to the classical ‘hero’ as explained in Jungian archetypes.

Jungian archetypes are prototypes in the human mind.  Whilst they are developed, they are neither learned nor acquired.  Their core is embedded in our DNA.

Often people mistake that the hero’s purpose is to make the brand the story’s champion.  Whilst certainly gallant, like all great heroic leaders, the brand’s true purpose is to…

How National Geographic engage 350 million combined global followers via storytelling content marketing on social media

Personally, I follow National Geographic across all social platforms - preferring the visual platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook - and for many years been a paid subscriber to their printed magazine. So what makes me, and their other 81.7 million followers on Instagram stop scrolling, engage with the content and ultimately convert to their paid content? (They are the number 1 television brand and number 2 printed media on facebook). It's the ingenious way they captivate attention through the power of visuals and great storytelling. This is why storytelling is the future of social media. With the multitude of content on social and the many brands that choose to pay to promote content, it is becoming an increasingly crowded and noisy environment to reach social users. Although 37% of marketers say visual marketing is the…

Send the right message, to the right person, at the right time: Automating your campaigns

Automated campaigns are the backbone of a successful email marketing strategy; campaigns that are set up within your email system and send automatically based on specific rules. In this blog post, we will cover 5 automated campaigns to consider as part of your lead nurture sequence. [si_quick_block id="115280" title="How to create a lead nurturing strategy" description="This guide will show you how to create an effective lead nurture strategy for B2B and B2C. The majority of new subscribers you generate and bring onto your email programme will not be ready to buy from you, hence, lead nurturing is a crucial part of any well-structured email strategy."]

1. Welcome series

This is often the first impression that a prospect has of your brand and gives you the opportunity to immediately start to build a relationship with your new subscriber when they…

Successful business communication entails tailoring messages to different types of audiences

Not so long ago, digital marketers and influencers used to make bold statements such as Email marketing is the best communication channel and shall continue to dominate for eternity. Today, the tables have turned and such statements make little business sense. Many businesses are relying on mobile and desktop push notifications to communicate and engage with different types of audiences. And importantly, push messages are agnostic to ad blockers. No wonder ads are playing second fiddle to push messages! Unfortunately, many marketers are not fully aware of using push notification services to their advantage. The express purpose of this article is to throw light on how to drive ecommerce sales with desktop push notifications. If you are looking forward to best practices, read on.

[si_guide_block id="79186" title="Download our Business Resource – 10 ecommerce mistakes" description="Smart Insights have put together a new list…