In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mariam Asmar, vice president of strategic consulting at Braze, a leading comprehensive customer engagement platform that powers interactions between consumers and brands they love. Asmar discusses her professional background and the Braze business (1:00), her take on the state of the e-commerce industry today (2:50), and the role that Braze plays in the social commerce ecosystem (5:10). She details how retail marketers are grappling with the shift in consumer behavior across online and offline channels (7:16), as well as the importance of creative effectiveness in marketing campaign performance (9:01).

Furthermore, Asmar discusses why brand and performance are now intertwined within marketing strategy and should no longer be siloed (10:32), and how brands can create create meaningful moments that inspire loyalty (13:50). She addresses the challenge of engaging anonymous users on brand sites (15:34), why marketers need to look holistically at the full acquisition funnel (18:28), and the need for real-time customer identification and engagement (20:08). Lastly, Asmar cites Braze's recent whitepaper with WARC looking at the role technology plays in driving more effective marketing creative (21:40).