I already consider targeted journey marketing to be table stakes for long-term success in retail. Personal and relevant messages are mandatory if we hope to break through all the noise and earn the attention of our target customers. I think one point not mentioned is also critical: the ability to connect the dots between digital and physical interactions. Oftentimes retailers struggle when shoppers take digital actions that lead to physical interactions, and I believe we need to close that loophole in order to achieve truly holistic journey targeting.

The benefit of being able to know your shoppers and customers at that level, at the time it is needed, is how retailers will drive more relevant, timely and appropriate personalization for the shopper. Achieving the once aspirational CX Nirvana … The hurdles? Tying the large volume of data together and being able to take action in REAL TIME and predictively while the shopper is on the journey or path to purchase. We need to stop thinking in terms of “digital data” or “marketing data” because that is our domain. We need to move past what we have and what we know and leverage the rich contextual data from across the enterprise as well as outside the enterprise. What about weather data? What about lifestyle data from your IoT devices? What about inventory data? Those data sources coupled with the marketing data provides a much richer ability to target customers and shoppers with that high-touch CX. Without that contextual data, and the underlying agile data foundation to manage it all, retailers won’t be as successful.… Read more »

We are all digital marketers now so it is imperative that the analytics keep pace. The integration of all the different messaging received as consumers progress through the need states journey is tough enough. But the gold is in being able to sense when a shopper shifts modes to a buyer so the right message can be delivered at the right time. This is compounded by the fact that a “shopper” might be looking at any of a number of devices (mobile, desktop, even TV, print or radio) when they make that transition. Of course some of these lead to flexible message delivery better than others and that is what makes digital so powerful.

Always remember, “The consumer IS the channel.” The necessary capabilities to tangibly measure the individual shopper at virtually every step of the shopping journey exists today. Right now. And I see innovators of all sizes leveraging marketing analytics with real-time personalization and several other functionalities. I actually like the idea of applying Net Promoter Scores (NPS) more to get real feedback from individual shoppers and take actions proactively from there.

Targeting individual human customers based on “Objectivity” and data science-based marketing systems is missing the point. These new system ideas miss the same element of the current systems they seek to replace.

The randomness of individual human selection [preference]. Which can not be found in clicks and taps.

In other words, research and analytic teams process and interpret data based on linear based, data science systems developed to process disparate pieces of data, none of which address the phenomenon of individual human “subjectivity” — also known as individual preference, the unconscious emotional and sensory preferences compelling an individual human to make the decision to purchase a product.

This post asks the question from the POV of research and analytics teams – people I have worked with and presented to many times in various roles. From what I have seen, these groups need to align better with LOB leaders to develop, activate and measure analytics that impact the company’s CX. There is too much separation from each group’s charter – thus you see LOB leaders examining analytics on their own, which is great from a time-to-value standpoint, but lacks connection to the broader analytic strategy the retailer should be pursuing. There’s actually a third group, IT/data management, that has to be engaged since ultimately the best insights will come from sources across and outside the company – all of which must be managed, governed and secured. In the end, retailers big and small should step back – even just briefly – and examine what they are doing with analytics, and why and how it relates to serving customers throughout their journey. Think agile and fast, pursue tests, and don’t get bogged down into… Read more »

This reminds us WHERE a shopper is trumps WHO a shopper is.

Knowing past purchases can tell us where a consumer is in the buying cycle. But such data is hard to tap if you’re not a very large retailer tracking purchases.

Following a consumer across devices is an imperative. But it is difficult as consumers find more ways to anonymize themselves.

Content can help us discern where people are on the path to purchase. When a shopper visits your website or app, are price, product details and photos specific enough? Are ratings, reviews and FAQs plentiful? Are delivery options (if pertinent) clear? Is the same information accessible from ads too?

Location along the customer journey has higher usefulness than demographics. But marketers and data providers need to innovate together to surface path to purchase data. Unless and until someone creates a universal shopper ID, targeting with content is a most effective option.