In addition to the big digital money makers like Amazon, Shopify, eBay and Alibaba, social media platforms have become one of the most effective vehicles for brands to drive e-commerce sales. The thing that kick-started it all? Creators.
The rise of influencer marketing has been sparked not only by the trust that consumers place in their favorite social superstars; findings that show…
Giant travel search engines such as TripAdvisor, Expedia, Kayak, and Google Flights have all but replaced travel agents as most consumers’ travel advisors. Soon, independent curating engines like these could trigger the next wave of disruption in retail. The first stage of the digital shopping revolution saved consumers time and money by letting them buy things they already wanted without…
In the world of retail innovations, merchants are looking to reach shoppers by interacting with them through multiple touchpoints. They are turning to cross-channel strategies to improve the customer experience, and even working with other companies to help execute these visions. Old Navy and Lyft, for instance, linked up in the lead-up to the holidays: The ridesharing service provided free…
In honor of Data Privacy Day (Data Protection Day in Europe), the European Commission (“the Commission”) released a statement on the status of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) which took effect on May 25, 2018. The joint statement by the Commission’s First Vice-President Timmermans, Vice-President Ansip, Commissioners Jourová and Gabriel stressed the importance of the GDPR in light…
As announced in our earlier newsletter ‘Netherlands finally implements PSD2’, the Dutch Senate approved the legislative proposal transposing the second Payment Services Directive (Directive 2015/2366 – PSD2) into Dutch law on 4 December 2018. At that time, it was expected that the effective date of this legislation would be 1 January 2019 (acknowledging that the draft decree implementation PSD2 (dealing…
Savvy and subtle innovation — not robots, drones and flashy screens — are what’s needed most. Tens of thousands of retail and tech professionals descended on New York this week for the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, an annual industry confab where exhibitors show off new innovations and the crowd collectively scoffs at the idea of any kind of looming retail apocalypse. The great sport…
Customer care through Facebook, Twitter and other channels has changed the way consumers interact with brands through every step of the customer journey. It was recently found that 93 percent of brand tweets are 1:1 interactions with customers, which means only 7 percent of brand tweets are traditional marketing content. Meeting customers where they are for 1:1 conversations is only…
Data’s very concept is changing. It has become a commodity: its ownership can be transferred, it can be marketed, reused, aggregated, transformed, bought and sold. The real potential comes from public sector information (PSI) or Open Public Data. Public sector bodies produce and possess huge quantities of data with huge value for individuals, businesses and society as a whole, by…
Two in five consumers (41%) say they are more comfortable and confident that brands are handling their data correctly thanks to the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018. Furthermore, fewer people find themselves often questioning how a brand got their data in the first place than a year ago, according to the ‘ Consumer email…
Research shows that monetary rewards are not the only driver for customer loyalty programs and that increasing experiential rewards provides greater long-term benefits. Loyalty programs are supposed to unlock great value for companies by driving higher sales and boosting brand affinity. So why aren’t they doing this? Although more and more companies now have loyalty programs (they’re growing at 9% a…
On February 13, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission reached a political deal on the first-ever rules aimed at creating a fair, transparent and predictable business environment for businesses and traders when using online platforms. Traders selling online via marketplaces, hotels using booking platforms, or app developers are amongst those who will benefit…
This paper introduces customer journey mapping (CJM) in the context of customer experience management. It looks at what it is, why we should do it and the approaches that can be used to undertake this. It also explores the importance to any growth strategy of understanding customer interfaces with a company and its brand. The examples cited in this paper focus…
Brian Cornell’s presentation at NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show had a resonating message: Every decision a company makes should start with an unerring focus on the consumer. The chairman and CEO of Target Corp. outlined four keys to success for the future of retail in front of a packed house, calling out the importance of investing in the business of today…
Consumers increasingly expect free delivery of items they buy online and are also embracing new options like picking up their online purchases at a local store, according to the latest issue of the quarterly Consumer View report released today by the National Retail Federation. “Consumers want free delivery, and they’re willing to meet retailers halfway to get it,” NRF Vice…
How will retail change and develop in 2019? We hear from industry insiders and share their predictions for the year ahead. This ongoing series focuses on a different theme each time, and today we’re looking at operations and logistics, from the supply chain to delivery and returns – and at a time when it’s become more clear that the delivery…
The influencer marketing industry is rapidly growing and evolving. Latest estimates predict influencer marketing spend will reach $5-10 billion by 2020, and Instagram influencer marketing alone will reach $2.28 billion in 2019. Now that influencer marketing has become mainstream, marketers are looking to tap into the next set of high-value influencers to improve performance. Amidst this scramble for fresh blood, new…
Olivia Zimmermann started her holiday shopping early this year, buying a Bluetooth speaker from Best Buy for her sister. It was supposed to arrive by Dec. 10, two weeks before Christmas. The speaker never showed up — and the post office said it had delivered the package to a different town. Best Buy apologized and offered to reship it. But Ms….
Retailers and brands who are invested in providing a great customer delivery experience must understand the global carrier market. MetaPack’s Carrier Mapping tool lets you quickly and effectively discover the carriers and carrier services that are available on the MetaPack platform.
For each and every order, MetaPack is able to identify the most appropriate delivery service for that particular customer, providing…
From AI to VR to IoT, these buzzword acronyms were featured at this year’s NRF Big Show. But beyond the jargon, the show delved into practical ways for retailers to take on the transformation of the industry. Every year at the world’s largest retail conference and exposition, nearly 40,000 attendees from 100 countries gather at the NRF Big Show in New…
As consumers grow and change, so do online retail trends — and with more and more Gen Z’ers aging into shopping dominance, keying into those trends is crucial for sustained ecommerce success. Do you know what omnichannel retail trends are coming down the pipeline? Are you ready to meet the needs of these younger shoppers and leverage their social influence to…