Last month, members of our Matterkind team attended the eTail 2022 conference in Boston, where eCommerce and omni-channel leaders were able to network and share new solutions, strategies, opportunities, and challenges. There was quite a bit of excitement at the event, as it was one of the first face-to-face networking events in the last two years.
Over the three-day conference, top speakers gave keynote sessions featuring action-packed stories and disruptive strategies to level up a company’s digital business game. Here are three key takeaways from eTail 2022.
- People want authentic, conscious marketing from brands
One of the key conference themes centered around the importance of being authentic, honest, and purposeful in a brand’s marketing. More than 90% of individuals value authenticity from brands, and 66 percent of people agree businesses should take a key role in solving issues in society and culture. When discussing marketing campaigns that addressed sustainability, such as the session Tackling Sustainability Initiatives For Retail, there was a focus on making sustainability a part of the brand experience. Brands now have the perfect opportunity to create real conversations about the world around us. - Building retention programs that work
As customer acquisition becomes more costly, many retail brands are making the shift toward marketing strategies that rely on owned channels, first-party data, and custom experiences. Focusing on the customer experience and staying efficient with spend will be crucial to brand success. During the panel discussion, Creating A Customer-Focused Retention Strategy, three retailers shared how they are prioritizing customer retention and developing strategies to drive brand advocacy and increase customer lifetime value. These ideas included creating a feedback loop to listen to what customers are saying and building it into your retention strategy. Building customer tailored emails, such as asking for feedback and empowering the customer to help create “what’s next” (i.e., new suggestions, new colors for a product), and being adaptive with content based on customer feedback help to build strong customer acquisition
In fact, retention was such a key focus, eTail has dedicated an entire day focused on email and retention at the West Coast edition of the event: eTail Palm Springs, happening February 27 – March 2, 2023. Download the agenda here!
- Create Value Brand Partnerships
Whatever size the business, brand partnerships are incredibly valuable assets. Brand partnerships are a tried and tested way to hack growth for newer organizations, but with unlimited partnership options, and so many potential matches out there, where one begin? In the keynote session, How To Create Brand Partnerships That Transform Your Business, insider tips and info were shared on how to find the perfect match, guiding the creation of a winning partnerships strategy, shortlisting potential partners, creating compelling concepts and pitches, and much more. Creating brand partnerships that have value isn’t just important, but vital to diversifying the success of your brand. Building partnerships that align with brand strategy and deliver measurable, guaranteed outcomes is key to brand growth.
As the ecommerce world continues to evolve, marketing and advertising efforts will need to adapt as well. Marketers need to stay on top of industry-wise and retailer developments in order to keep their brands relevant, relatable, and conscious. Follow Matterkind on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more info on intentional, sustainable, high-performance marketing that delivers guaranteed outcomes.
