Are ‘cutesy’ pictures of wild animals shared online fuelling the illegal wildlife trade and can marketers serve the increasing demand for social media animal marketing, but in an ethical and responsible way? Phil Aiston shows how working with animals – but with a conscience – can be a force for good.
Remember when shops used to be closed on Sundays? Or closed for a half-day during the week (presumably so staff could have time off)? It seems ridiculous now, as we shop whenever we like, either in the high street or online. In fact, research shows that shopping ‘out of hours’ – late night shopping – is evolving and consumers are increasingly settling down in the evening for a bit of second-screen retail therapy. So how savvy is your brand at providing a first class customer experience for those ‘night owl’ potential purchasers?
Marketers need to ensure they reduce the hassle that often surrounds payment methods, to improve the user experience, says Shane Leahy – particularly now, as consumers often use two screens simultaneously; gamers, for example, who want to be able to download content via mobile payment while mid-game on their tablets.
Developing a good, relevant and personalised experience has been proven to help marketers with building customer relationships. Research shows that brands sending birthday offers are likely to improve the experience for more than half the 18-21 age group, but for less than a third of the 50+ age group. So who wants personalisation and who doesn’t? Take a look:
Brand influencers and advocates are key to driving reach and sales yet most companies fail to activate well. Both customers and employees are a source of untapped growth that companies need to focus more effort on. Here’s how to maximise employee and customer advocacy.
Providing customers with personalised content can lift revenue by 15%, according to Harvard Business Review, so why is it that businesses so often settle for producing generic marketing – or, worse, create messages that simply do not translate? Robert Berkeley says they need to do more to localise content if they are to draw in customers and grow their businesses.
When it came to customer data, instead of drinking from the fountain of knowledge, brewer and pub chain Marston’s was alarmed to be watching most of it trickling down the drain. The company realised it should get to know its customers and build a relationship with them. Here’s how they did it:
In today’s digital landscape, retail innovation is ever-present and it is clear that retailers failing to meet customers’ shifting habits and abiding love of e-commerce will not prosper. What vendors cannot do is refuse to transform in a world that is being disrupted by technology. Amazon is a leader in the retail sector and understands that you can’t sit still in an industry that is always changing to meet the customers’ demands. Hugh Fletcher takes a deeper look at Amazon’s achievements.
Pharrell Williams sang about being Happy back in 2013 and topped the charts in 35 countries – and that’s an ‘earworm’ that marketers should take on board long-term, researcher Ben Pask says, since the customer’s pursuit of happiness can drive brand loyalty. So, are your loyalty stats reflecting lots of happy customers? If not, why not?
Managing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can prove time-consuming, but paid search is often a major part of a marketing strategy. Here are tips and tactics to help SMEs save time with their PPC advertising by leveraging technology.