Data Onboarding Explained: Most vendors are wasting time and money

Do you know what your customers did today? How about what they did an hour ago? In fact, what are they doing right now? The answers to all of these questions matter. They mean knowing whether someone is shopping for a specific product, or just browsing options. Whether a shopper is searching for the lowest …

5 Tactics to Evolve Marketing from Segmentation to Individualization

“What’s the value of a shopping cart?” This is the question Forrester Principal Analyst Brendan Witcher posed to listeners to kick off the recent Signal-hosted webinar The Age of Individualization: How Identity Is Transforming the Retail Experience. Imagine you’re going grocery shopping and the store doesn’t offer a cart, Witcher explained. As a marketer, you …

The Hidden Silver Linings to GDPR Compliance

The GDPR is coming fast. The General Data Protection Regulation, which harmonizes data privacy laws across Europe, takes effect on May 25, 2018, bringing with it a heightened level of scrutiny to the rules of customer engagement for brands on both sides of the Atlantic. But it’s important not to panic, according to Blane Sims, Signal’s …

4 Strategies to End ‘Remarkably Awful’ CX in the Post-GDPR Era

Brands operate in a marketplace where a consumer’s last best experience sets the bar for the next. Just minor improvements in customer experience can add tens of millions of dollars of revenue by reducing churn and increasing share of wallet. Easier said than done. According to Forrester’s latest U.S. Customer Index Report, 2017 marked the first time not one single industry …

Webinar: Identity Powers Individualized Engagements with Consumers

Today’s consumers expect exactly what they want, the moment they want it — and brands must keep pace. Hindsight is 20/20; however, basing future interactions solely on a customer’s past behaviors is short-sighted. Brands must recognize their customers in real-time across all touchpoints and continuously understand their needs to exceed expectations. Continuous identity is the …

Winning with CX, Part 1: How Top Brands Improve Convenience

There’s no such thing as “convenient enough.” As fast as we learn to swipe instead of type, or tap to pay, we’re already looking for a faster, shinier option — or complaining about why it doesn’t exist yet. Who could possibly keep up with this unending demand for faster, more hassle-free customer experiences? Guess we …

Intimacy Issues Are Tearing the Heart Out of Customer Relationships

Note: A version of this post originally appeared on The Future CMO Club website. Want to think less like a marketer and more like your customers? Put yourself in their shoes. One terrific way to know someone better is playing the Never Have I Ever Game. You’ll quickly find there are experiences that most all of …

How US Retailers Fought Back and Captured Traffic on Prime Day 2017

Note: This post originally appeared on MediaPost. While Amazon is counting its money from its third annual Amazon Prime Day — the e-commerce giant’s midsummer event generated an estimated $1 billion in sales, its biggest single day ever — other U.S. retailers didn’t simply watch from the sidelines. Some counter-attacked, and built momentum that will carry …

How to Build Brand Infatuation with Your Customers

Everyone has a favorite brand — those go-to companies that we rely on again and again to find what we want and buy the things we need. We can’t even imagine living without them. Of course, we do business with many brands, not just our favorite ones. Sometimes we’re attracted by an ad or special …

How to Lose a Customer in 3 Ways

Something about her caught your eye. She was a keeper. So you wooed her (ever so cleverly, of course, lest she get creeped out). You sent her a few messages, revealing your interest. You showed up in times of need, even offered suggestions she may have never considered. Eventually, you invited her to your place, …