Once again, the DAC team headed to sunny Palm Springs, California for one of our favorite retail conferences—eTail West. Some of the top brands in retail for North America, including 2000+ disruptors, game changers and innovators gathered to plan strategies in 2018 and beyond. As e-commerce and omni-channel experiences continue to take priority in the strategies of the savviest marketers, here are our top take-aways from this year’s conference.
1. Focusing on the ‘Customer of the Future’
Customers are more connected to brands than ever. Building customer-centric strategies is key—ensuring seamless, memorable experiences on mobile, online and in-store.
According to Catherine Mouttet, Digital Creative Director at David’s Bridal, “no one wants instant gratification all of the time. Fulfilling value is important based on customer individuality. When you set the expectation for customers, it takes the pressure off because you’ve communicated your offering.”
2. The Importance of voice-centric content
With devices like Alexa and Google Home becoming more and more common (not to mention voice search on the road), optimizing content and listing information for voice search is key to being found by your customers when they’re ready to shop.
3. Getting personal
Smart marketers are leveraging the huge amount of data and persona research available to create personalized content that provides customers with the information, offers, and deals they want, when they want them. Doubling down on personalization is key to increasing customer acquisition.
“A key to omnichannel is to segment consumers as they move between lifestyle cycles and personas,” says Shelagh Stoneham, Senior VP Marketing of Chicos.
4. Testing, testing
There’s no shortage of creative ideas and data when it comes to eCommerce and omni-channel marketing—but testing and leveraging data to ensure campaigns are working optimally is where marketers stand to acquire the most qualified customers, reduce the overall cost-per-acquisition, and provide the very best experience for customers.
“Data is the oil, content is the oxygen,” says Imran Ansani, Principal Manager at Innovation, stressing the importance of a solid data strategy. “If your data is different in different places, it’s wrong everywhere.”
Kimberley Carrera is the Director, Business Development for DAC North America. Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
For more insights on how brands can thrive in today’s omni-channel retail environment, download our white paper. To find out more about what we can do for your business, contact DAC.
