CommerceNext Insights

Connecting Cause Marketing with Brand Mission for Good

Elisabeth Anne Boniface October 16, 2019

Consumers are looking for a cause. Sixty-four percent of consumers said that they would boycott, switch or avoid brands based on their public stances on social issues, and two-thirds of millennials and Gen Z expressed a preference for brands with a socially conscious point of view. IEG reported an average three times increase in spending on cause marketing since 2000, exceeding 2 billion by 2018. Retail brands are heeding the call to stand for something, channeling social responsibility into their growth marketing and customer acquisition strategies. This can take many different forms ranging from an entire company shift in business practices to align

How Retailers Are Investing In Digital Customer Experience

Elisabeth Anne Boniface October 7, 2019

Time is the most precious resource. Within our twenty-four hour day, we are constantly curating experiences based on what we need to succeed and feel good. From what we eat for breakfast to the sheets we sleep on at night, brands play a huge role in our everyday lives. So how, as a brand, can you maximize those customer experience moments? If you have ever asked that question, or if that is the goal of your business, you are engaged with the experience economy, and Bob Meixner, Director of Product Strategy at Oracle, has the stats and advice to help. Meixner spoke

Building a Marketing Team to Scale Customer Acquisition

Elisabeth Anne Boniface October 1, 2019

“Marketing is hard, but not nearly as hard as building a great team,” Ben Harrel quipped. Arguably the most important touchpoint of a brand’s customer base is mediated through the decisions and actions of its marketing team. Marketing plays an integral role in customer acquisition, retention, and customer experience, but how can you quantify the skills that an ideal marketer needs to succeed? Enter General Assembly (GA); their goal is to transform thinkers into leaders, and their Marketing Standards Board set out to discover what defines a successful member of a marketing team. Kieran Luke, General Manager of Credentials and Business at GA

Customer Experience and Community as the Ultimate Marketing Tool

Elisabeth Anne Boniface September 13, 2019

If you spend time online, you’ve undoubtedly heard of cult-favorite beauty brand Glossier. Moreover, you’ve probably seen their ultra-chic and Instagram-worthy pink and vibrant red branding not on an ad, but in the social content of someone you know. Glossier’s community of raving fans is a large part of what drives their brand awareness, with individuals sharing their beauty routines with the world via social media. This loyalty and passion stem from the customer experience Glossier creates. As a direct to consumer brand, Glossier takes a unique approach to customer experiences beyond your typical beauty counter which has helped propel their digital marketing

The Changing Consumer Behind Rent the Runway’s Success

Elisabeth Anne Boniface September 10, 2019

Direct to consumer fashion rentals company Rent the Runway (RTR) has taken the fashion community by storm. The company’s sustainable and adventuresome subscription service has become a mainstay in the working woman’s closet. With RTR unlimited for just $159 per month, customers can rotate up to four items at any time, giving them access to a virtual dream closet full of 600 plus brands and designers to choose from. With subscription services seemingly taking over the ecommerce and the direct to consumer shopping experience, we asked ourselves: how has the digital-first customer evolved and what consumer behavior is driving this trend? Maureen Sullivan,

The Power of Storytelling as a Customer Acquisition Strategy

Elisabeth Anne Boniface September 5, 2019

With three years of mattress marketing backed by nearly thirty years of technological advancements, Purple has made a name for themselves as more than a mattress company. At CommerceNext 2019, Joe Megibow, CEO of Purple Mattress, shared how Purple not only innovated on their patented signature polymer grid but also in their use of storytelling to drive customer acquisition and direct to consumer sales. Megibow has been with Purple since October of 2018 as CEO, previously serving as the chief digital officer for American Eagle Outfitters. He discusses his unique approach to reaching an audience beyond the realm of brick and mortar mattress

How Estee Lauder Engages Customers with Micro-Storytelling

How Estee Lauder Engages Customer Experience with Micro-Storytelling

Brittney Kleinfelter April 8, 2019

“Telegraph, telephone, tell-a-woman.” —Estée Lauder Every brand has a story to tell, but just how many brands understand the art of storytelling? Even before the rise of the internet and smartphones, Estée Lauder, the founder of Estée Lauder Companies, knew the importance and complexities of telling stories to connect and capture an audience. At the 2018 CommerceNext conference, Tricia Nichols, Senior Vice President of Customer Marketing at Estée Lauder, shared how her team successfully harnesses the art of micro-storytelling to capture an audience, share brand values and create customer loyalty. Micro-Storytelling and Brand Bonding The goal of micro-storytelling is fostering brand bonding—the building

The Role Of Amazon In A World Of Direct-To-Consumer Brands

Brittney Kleinfelter December 10, 2018

How three companies navigate the pros – and cons – of partnering with the world’s largest ecommerce website That elephant in the room has become impossible to ignore: Amazon, the world’s biggest ecommerce site, now accounts for 43% of all online sales, and over 52% of consumers go directly Amazon when they shop online. In the past, brands often squared off with this mega-behemoth, hoping to parlay customers into their own on-site sales, bypassing a partnership via Amazon Merchant Services. But, with Amazon’s ever-increasing presence, some larger brands find themselves facing an even bigger problem: third-party sellers and wholesalers selling their products either

The Secret Behind Chewy’s Customer Acquisition Strategy

Brittney Kleinfelter December 3, 2018

How customer service contributes to Chewy’s successful customer acquisition strategy. Customer service is becoming an increasingly significant part of the customer experience, and brands are searching for ways to go above and beyond their customers’ expectations. The bottom line is that customers are more likely to remain loyal and/or refer a brand after having a positive experience. In fact, a study conducted by American Express reveals that “7 out of 10 U.S. consumers say they’ve spent more money to do business with a company that delivers great service.” Online pet food distributor Chewy was able to master the art of delivering excellent

Consumer Experience: What Every Retailer Needs To Know

Brittney Kleinfelter November 12, 2018

A guide to how consumer behavior is shaping retail and ecommerce best practices In today’s competitive retail environment, consumer experience can be the difference between success and failure. According to Dimension Data, “84% of organizations working to improve [customer experience] have experienced an increase in revenue.” So an investment in customer experience has real payoff when it comes to the bottom line. As a result of the changing landscape, we often hear the retail and ecommerce community asking questions like: “How have consumer expectations changed?” “How can retailers rethink their physical retail spaces, and do they fulfill the expectations that their online brand

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