Personalization

Everyone is unique, so why do many marketing initiatives treat everyone the same? The answer lies with identification. When retailers can’t identify shoppers, they have no choice but to lump them together in one undifferentiated group. Often, the issue is not that a retailer can’t identify site visitors, it's that its approach to identification isn’t…

Grocery loyalty programs enjoy widespread popularity. Our recent survey and report, Grocery’s Great Loyalty Opportunity, found that 70 percent of North Americans belong to at least one. And amid rising food costs, they’ve become more popular as consumers seek value (73 percent) and discounts (62 percent) from brands. Shoppers also have firm preferences about how to…

In episode 414 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Valerie Grant, lifecycle marketing manager at Kroger, an American grocer operating a variety of banner names. Grant discusses her role leading engagement and retention membership marketing (0:45), how Kroger differentiates its approach between brand and lifecycle marketing (1:45), and the importance of agile, sustainable marketing…

In recent years, the e-commerce industry has experienced an unprecedented surge, propelling it far into the future. With the industry hurdling projection after projection, the only thing that seemed capable of slowing momentum was merchants’ ability to get products into their customers’ hands fast enough. Today, things are a bit more complicated. A new backdrop…

Today’s retail environment demands ultra-relevant customer experiences (CX). Consumer needs change swiftly, inventory moves fast, and trends come and go. By creating content informed by evolving customer data, businesses can drive engagement, differentiate their brands, and deliver exceptional CX that keep customers returning for more. Most retailers aren’t there yet, however. A content gap stands…

The retail industry is in the midst of a seismic shift: an era defined by heightened customer privacy concerns, increasing privacy regulations, and the impending demise of third-party cookies. With major platforms like Apple (iOS and Safari) and Firefox leading the charge to abandon cookies, third-party identifiers have dropped 50 percent to 60 percent in…

Today’s e-commerce customers are overwhelmed. Across every part of the shopping journey, retailers are fighting for shoppers’ attention, trying not only to sell them products, but also to convince them to take actions that will drive additional revenue. Whether they’re asking customers to sign up for a credit card, download an app, enroll in a…

Brand loyalty can be a fickle thing, especially when consumers feel the pressure of high prices and the frustration of out-of-stocks. When shopping online, these issues can come across as even more impersonal, further hindering brand loyalty. For example, after a long workday, there are perhaps fewer things more frustrating for a busy parent than…

Product personalization has ancient roots in woodblock garment printing from around 200 CE in China, but it wasn’t until the advent of mass marketing of standardized goods post World War II that customization at scale became possible. Now, new production methods let retailers like Zazzle offer shoppers the ability to print their own images onto…

As the economic climate becomes increasingly volatile, more focus has been placed on the consumer. Customers are what keep brands afloat and their behavior can make or break a business. This has always been true, but as we continue to face more uncertainty, many companies are starting to shift their strategies to place more of…