Vertical Retail

You mention to your spouse that you need to pick up a new dog bed, and suddenly you start seeing ads for dog beds in your social feeds. Is your phone or smart home assistant listening? Maybe.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend eTail West where over a thousand retail-focused marketers gathered to learn about what’s disrupting the industry and discuss a number of key topics, some of which include measurement, how to rebrand your loyalty program, marketing automation, the role of data, best practices for the design of retail, the importance of creating a personalized experience for each consumer…

A recent headline in Vogue Business declared “the U.S. cosmetics boom is over.” That prediction may be a bit too critical, but there’s no doubt the industry is on the cusp of a major change.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands are known for killing it with performance marketing. They’ve grown up online, and they know how to move customers through the funnel with precision.

Machine learning has certainly been a “buzz word” within the marketing landscape over the past three-plus years. The difference today is that several brands are implementing machine learning strategies and are seeing positive results. In fact, the overall global artificial intelligence revenues will see a massive growth from just 643.7 million in 2016 to an excess of 36.8 billion in 2025.

Identity resolution is the most critical part of marketing, but it’s also the most difficult to do correctly.

Remember when a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand could launch a Shopify store and build a million-dollar business via social media overnight?

“Is brick-and-mortar really dying” is a common question asked by marketers. The answer is no, it’s not.

The time for change is now. Consumer expectations are constantly evolving and the digital, hyper-personalized world we live in is complex. The true meaning of customer loyalty has shifted from a transactional brand relationship to one that now communicates on a 1:You level. And, the opportunity for program expansion has become a reality.

Retail is one of the more advanced industries when it comes to personalization, with almost every retailer offering some degree of personalization to enhance the customer journey. 

In the era of technological innovation, data is the currency, and every startup, challenger brand and legacy retailer needs it to provide better customer experiences and close more sales.