Assessing the 2021 landscape: Commerce aligned with social set to rocket as brands truly digitise

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that massive disruptions can happen overnight across industries, with customer communication responsibilities from marketing to care often falling to the social media marketing team. The trends we at Socialbakers have seen take shape this year -- from increased usage of social messaging to recruiting niche influencers to help expand social reach -- are likely to grow in the coming year as more and more customer interactions happen...

14 December 2020 | Advertising

Understanding changing consumer behaviours this holiday season – and how marketers can gain confidence into 2021

Arriving in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, this holiday season will undoubtedly turn out different than most. The crisis has widened consumer appetite for choice and introduced unexpected shifts in consumer behaviour. Our 2020 Holiday Season research revealed that safety and uncertainty remain dominant features of daily life, and this is altering both how consumers shop and what they plan to buy. Instead of door-busting crowds, 2020’s holiday shoppers will turn to apps and websites...

24 November 2020 | Commerce

Why brands must embrace consumer post-pandemic buying habits

The coronavirus pandemic has, in many ways, radically changed consumer behaviour. In-store shopping has plummeted due to social distancing measures, and many customers are instead opting for no-touch fulfillment and purchasing items online.

Once the pandemic passes, some shoppers will return to their previous buying habits as though nothing ever happened. But many consumers are forming new buying habits that will stick with them well into the future. Brands need to understand...

10 August 2020 | Best Practice

Disrupting the eCommerce status quo: Covid-19 and digital transformation

There is no doubt there is a sense that the Great Retrenchment is upon us; yet as ever, where there is a crisis, new opportunities arise.

As Ian Altman, business-to-business growth expert and bestselling author of Same Side Selling, reminds us, the underlying product or service hasn’t changed, but the way it’s presented now has to.

Up until Covid-19 most organisations believed they had reached the pinnacle of digital transformation, when in fact they were nowhere...

23 July 2020 | Advertising

Happy holidays? Why festive planning is earlier than ever this year

Brands love reaching their most passionate customers. As a former retail CMO myself, I get it. When you reach early planners, you reach the CEOs of the household—an audience that buys and spends more. Reach them first, and you have a shot at being their first choice when it’s time to shop.

And yet, for as long as marketers and advertisers have been prioritising planners, they’re making some seriously incorrect assumptions about this key audience right now. I heard from a CMO...

7 July 2020 | Branding

AI retail software market set to touch $10bn by 2025, says Omdia

Analyst firm Omdia has predicted that the expenditure on AI software for retail uses across the world will grow to $9.8 billion (£7.96bn) in 2025, compared to $1.3bn in 2019.

The report, titled Artificial Intelligence for Retail Applications, also says that retailers will have invested $37.3bn on AI-driven solutions from 2019 through 2025 globally.

Plenty of use cases are driving the artificial intelligence market within retail, such as reducing cost and improving the...

7 April 2020 | Automation

Kroger launches offering focusing on more precise attribution for brands and suppliers

Retail giant Kroger has announced the launch of a new product which aims to provide brands and suppliers with more transparent sales attribution.

The new feature, from Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the company’s media advertising business, will mean brands can view in-store and online sales results attributed to campaigns across Kroger properties, with Kroger applying only 100% verified transactions from in-store and online customers.

For marketers hoping to...

14 February 2020 | Advertising Technology

Staying competitive in tomorrow’s retail space: Seven technologies for 2020 and beyond

2020 will see the rise of experience as a differentiator. Gartner predicts 81% of all purchases in 2020 will be based on customer experience and this is largely due to the boom of eCommerce. Today, logistical issues of shopping such as lengthy queues, limited opening hours and heavy bags have seemingly vanished.

Shoppers are armed with extensive product and pricing knowledge – available through effortless online research – to identify the most desirable products and...

27 January 2020 | Advertising Technology

Eight ways to make potential customers feel safer browsing your site

Shoppers going to brick-and-mortar stores have clear signals that the environment they’re in is safe and secure: manicured storefronts, security guards or cameras, helpful employees, well-ordered check out stations and other intuitive cues all create a sense of comfort and safety, helping put shoppers at ease. 

But when shopping online, these physical cues don’t come into play. Without such signs, how can we create a sense of safety for customers, especially when it...

6 November 2019 | Commerce

How Mastercard is leveraging its sonic identity – and evolving brand security in the process

In February, Mastercard issued a press release which announced the launch of what the company called its ‘sonic brand identity.’ The result was touted as ‘a distinct and memorable melody with adaptations across genres and cultures.’

Naturally, there was also an audio press release sent out where the tone was played (1:04) and further described as the ‘sound equivalent’ of the company’s red and yellow circles. “What you just heard was...

30 October 2019 | Advertising