Featured Post: My Reading & Podcast List
Here are recent books I’ve read and podcasts I enjoy. If you’re looking for something interesting to listen to or read, these are a few that have stood out to me. Let me know if you have a recommendations.
New Year, New Emails, No More Excuses
With email continuing to be one of the top-performing online marketing channels, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that my inbox is overrun with bland, generic emails. Why change what seems to be working? But change is inevitable. If you don’t believe me, just look at what evolving consumer expectations have done to many legacy retailers.
The fact is, while some strategies require larger resources or investments, many do not – and those that don’t can pay huge dividends. Make 2018 excuse-free. Roll up your sleeves, and improve your email program. Here are three ways to get started.
Eggnog and Fruitcake: Holiday Predictions That You Can Stomach
With the holiday shopping season about to begin, I thought this would be the perfect time to share my expectations for the end of the year. After all, planning is all about anticipation, and knowing what to anticipate will help you better prepare for the holidays. Here goes:
Key Holiday Trends That Keep on Giving
Commerce marketers seem to start preparing for the holiday season earlier and earlier each year – and with good reason. Consumers now start their holiday shopping earlier than ever. Getting ready for such an early shopping season can come with great challenges, but there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Take a look at the trends over the past couple of years, especially those from last year, and identify opportunities for success. Here are two of the trends I noticed last year that can help you set the stage for a successful season.
3 Holiday Trends: Prepare for the Marathon, Not a Sprint
The holiday shopping season is the ecommerce version of the Boston Marathon’s Heartbreak Hill. It’s a season that will challenge retailers, stress them, push them to their limits and, many times, either make or break them. Effectively planning for the final stretch requires not only looking at last year’s results, but considering what went well for your peers. Let’s look at three trends from last year that will keep you from hitting the wall this year.
Alexa, Order Me Browserless Commerce
My five-year-old son recently uttered the phrase, “Why don’t you just ask Siri?” This was in response to my wife asking me a question. Even though my answer, “because I am smarter than Siri” wasn’t fully accepted, something occurred to me. This is his normal.
What does this mean for online retailers and brands that are accustomed to consumers navigating browsers rather than barking voice commands?
Why Your Email Program Sucks
Do your email subscribers find your marketing emails useful? I ran across a statistic from Fluent that suggests consumers think marketing emails are consistently useful only 15% of the time and not useful nearly 60% of the time. So how do you ensure your email program falls into the first category? By ramping up your sophistication.
Why 2021 Is Your Mobile Strategy Doomsday
Change with the times, or the times will change you. These words have never been more true than they are today. That’s because mobile devices, especially smartphones, are changing the game for retailers. Mobile is more than just the way emails render. Mobile is the primary way people consume information. Consider this:
Retail Predictions: How Small Retailers Will Change In 20 Years
In the year 2037 we may not quite be on planet Mars, but one thing is certain, the face of retail and ecommerce will have drastically changed, and this is particularly true for smaller retailers and mom and pop shops.
In the third installment of a three-part series, find out how I predict small retailers may change 20 years from now.
Email Expectations vs. Reality: Are You Letting Your Customers Down?
Consumer expectations versus reality. It is a complex topic for all retailers, but especially for those who sell online. Look at how Amazon has raised the bar on consumer expectations, such as with fast and free shipping. Consider how accessible mobile phones are, allowing consumers to find any product they are searching for, regardless of where they or the product is located. Social media, and its integration into the shopping experience, is providing a direct connection between brand and consumer.
Retail Predictions: How Amazon and Giant Retailers Will Change In 10 Years
In the year 2027, it’s hard to imagine going to the same big box grocery store when already so many technological advancements are making its way into each business. Beyond grocery stores, similar changes can been found in the fashion and general merchandise industries. This poses the question, what will happen to the largest of retailers over the next 10 years? Will there be a shift in physical size? Will experiences become more meaningful than general displays and product availability?
In the second part of a three-part series, find out how I predict giant retailers may change over the next 10 years.
Bridging the Online-Offline Personalization Gap
Consumers are so keyed in about personalization that a recent study found 40% of online shoppers expect that multichannel merchants know about their offline purchases and factor those into their marketing emails. Let me repeat, we’re talking about offline purchases!
Retailers recognize this as a challenge, and are eager to solve it. But realistically, too many retailers struggle to connect their consumer profile data, purchase data, and email data — much less bridge the gap between the online and offline world. Consumers are coming to expect something most retailers are not yet poised to provide.
Retail Predictions: How Mid-Size Retailers May Change By 2022
Over the next five years, mid-size retailers such as L.L. Bean, Hasbro, and Wayfair will see large impacts and face the most challenges. While we may not have a crystal ball, industry experts, like Greg Zakowicz, have a direct tap into the changing landscape of retail, so we asked them how they see mid-size retail and ecommerce shifting over the next five years. From emerging technology to shifts in how consumers receive their goods, there are a lot of iterative changes that our industry is likely to see.
In the first of a three-part series, find out how I predict mid-sized retailers may change over the next 5 years.
Why fast fashion retailers should slow down and emphasize trust
Consumers are on the move, and their expectations are higher than ever, thanks to supply chain innovations pioneered by fashion industry front runners. Speedy product development and great logistics management have helped brands like Zara and Uniqlo expand their brands’ presence and popularity in North America, bringing new benefits to consumers and new challenges to retailers.
Why Mobile Payments Are Killing the Checkout Form
A colleague recently told me over lunch how much he loves pizza apps. “They’re just so easy.” When I asked him what was so easy, he said that while picking from the menu is part of the ease, the bigger part has to do with paying. It’s one touch.
Now before you run out and hire a team to create an app for your brand, let’s think about how to make paying easier – whether someone visits your website from a desktop or wants to take advantage of email offers directly from their mobile device.
Stop Slashing Prices, Start Connecting With Your Customers
The retail sector is going through drastic changes. Established names like The Limited are closing or filing for bankruptcy. Amazon and WalMart squeeze everyone’s margins. Special discount shopping days like Black Friday have morphed into Gray November, a month-long deep discounting period. As brands fight to keep up with competitor discounts, profits and customer loyalty are harder to earn.
I recently spoke with a fashion retailer who recognized the endless discount cycle dilemma. They had been stuck in this discounting rut, but did not want to be known as a discount brand. They prided themselves on making quality product at a decent price and this constant discounting was bad for their brand and devalued their product. This past holiday season, they made a straight forward business decision: No guts, no glory. At their busiest time of the year, they chose to not discount.