Take Your Data with You! ReadyCloud CRM’s Magento 1 & 2 Integrations Make Switching Effortless

Take Your Data with You! ReadyCloud CRM’s Magento 1 & 2 Integrations Make Switching Effortless

The ecommerce suite built for customer retention and growth, ReadyCloud CRM, has just announced all-new integrations for Adobe’s Magento 1 and 2 platforms. An orders-based CRM, ReadyCloud creates instant customer profiles from cross-channel data, including Amazon and eBay, to give users a 360-degree view of the customer journey.

But that’s not all ReadyCloud CRM can do. For online retailers looking to switch platforms, data loss has always been a pain point. But if they plug ReadyCloud CRM into their existing platform before they switch to Magento 1 or 2, they’ll be able to take all their data with them.

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“Order data is the heart of any business and ReadyCloud CRM works fast to import your existing online store’s order history,” explains Michael Lazar, an Executive at ReadyCloud CRM. “E-retailers are no longer tethered to their store. If you want to move, then move. The sync is easy and automated, and the results are amazing!”

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ReadyCloud’s robust feature set give’s retailers everything they need to succeed in ecommerce. From integrated tasks and team management to detailed reporting, event calendar, customer-focused notes, tagging and sorting features, and so much more. Premium plugins like ReadyShipper X add a powerful, hybrid-cloud shipping solution, while others, like ReadyReturns, add “Prime-like” returns to any online store.

“ReadyCloud is an invaluable tool for Magento developers and ISPs who host Magento sites. It makes onboarding customers who were previously on different platforms a breeze,” Lazar says. “If you ask around, preserving order and shipping history was always the hard part. ReadyCloud is great at it.”

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67 Percent of Communications and Marketing Executives See Positive Reputational Impact When CEOs Take a Stand on Societal Issues

67 Percent of Communications and Marketing Executives See Positive Reputational Impact When CEOs Take a Stand on Societal Issues

53 Percent of Communications and Marketing Executives Report Spending Time Dedicated to CEO Activism, According to New Weber Shandwick Study

Two-thirds of communications and marketing executives (67 percent) in the US, UK and China whose CEOs have spoken out on hotly debated current issues believe that CEO activism reaps reputational rewards. According to CEO Activism: Inside Comms and Marketing, a survey commissioned by global communications and marketing solutions firm Weber Shandwick with KRC Research, only seven percent of those whose CEOs have spoken out say the impact was negative. Seventy-two percent of those reporting a positive impact say the benefits were long-term.

 67 Percent of Communications and Marketing Executives See Positive Reputational Impact When CEOs Take a Stand on Societal Issues

“As expectations grow for business leaders to speak out on political and social issues, companies must anticipate which issues affect their businesses and challenge their values, and be prepared to address them,” said Andy Polansky, CEO of Weber Shandwick. “Our latest study among those responsible for corporate communications and marketing provides an inside look at how companies are faring in an era where CEO activism is quickly becoming the new norm and earning competitive reputational advantage.”

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CEO Activism is Part of the Corporate Agenda

The survey shows that half of communications and marketing executives (53 percent) report their companies spend time discussing whether their CEO should speak out. An even greater amount, 59 percent, report an increase in time spent discussing it compared to years past. Twenty-three percent are spending the same amount of time and 18 percent are spending less time.

With considerable internal discussion on CEOs taking a stand, two-thirds of communications and marketing executives report their CEO is prepared to respond to hotly debated current issues: 26 percent report their CEOs are “very” prepared and 40 percent report they are “somewhat” prepared. One-third (35 percent) say the CEO is not prepared or they do not know enough to say. Among those who know whether their CEO is prepared to respond, 41 percent say their CEO is better prepared than they were one year ago. Only four percent report their CEO is less prepared.

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CEO Activism Can Have a Positive, Long-Term Impact on Corporate Reputation

As headlined, CEO activism reaps reputational rewards. According to communications and marketing executives whose CEOs have spoken out on issues, the impact was more likely to have had a positive impact on company reputation (67 percent) than a negative impact (seven percent). Among those who report a positive impact, 72 percent report that the impact was long-term. Even communications and marketing executives whose CEO has been publicly silent see potential positive reputational impact: Half of those whose CEO has not spoken out on an issue (51 percent) say their company’s reputation would have a moderate to big advantage if their CEO were to do so.

Favorability High Among Communications and Marketing Executives

Communications and marketing executives have strong enthusiasm for CEO activism at their own organizations. Six in 10 (62 percent) would have a more favorable opinion of their CEO if he or she spoke out on a hotly debated current issue. Favorability is even stronger among those whose CEO has spoken out, suggesting that communications and marketing executives perceive a real benefit of CEOs speaking out after having experienced it. Nearly four in 10 communications and marketing professionals (38 percent) have had their own CEO speak out on an issue, and among this segment, 78 percent are favorable of their own CEO taking a position.

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CEO Activism Also Carries Potential Risk

Seven in 10 communications and marketing professionals (73 percent) think there is a moderate to big risk to company reputation if a CEO speaks out. They consider the top perceived risk to be criticism in social media (59 percent), followed by criticism from customers (55 percent) and criticism from employees (49 percent). Interestingly, perceived risk is lower among those whose CEO has spoken out (68 percent) than those whose CEO has not (77 percent), suggesting experience with CEO activism helps to alleviate concerns, hence the need to prepare.

“Communications and marketing departments are not shying away from CEO activism,” said Leslie Gaines-Ross, Chief Reputation Strategist of Weber Shandwick. “Our research reveals that communications and marketing professionals are placing activism squarely on their C-level agendas and recognize that having business leaders be vocal on issues can strengthen a company’s reputation for the long-term. They are subsequently making sure that their leaders prepare for the inevitable.”

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A Guide to CEO Activism through a Communications and Marketing Lens

CEO activism is increasingly gaining importance on the corporate agenda. Based on our findings from this research, Weber Shandwick recommends that CEOs and their companies consider the following guidelines when preparing for activism and deciding whether they should engage in current issues.

  • Start talking about activism internally, if you have not already. Vet now. Publicly responding to hot-button issues may not be the right decision for every company all the time, but it is something that warrants discussion. Weigh the pros and cons of having a CEO speak out on a particular issue. With companies increasing the amount of time spent discussing this dynamic, other companies are at a competitive disadvantage if they leave CEO activism off the table entirely.
  • Recognize the reputational advantage. Communications and marketing executives acknowledge there are risks associated with CEO activism, but for the majority of those whose CEOs have taken a stance on an issue, the reputational advantages were strong. Be aware that perceived risk of activism declines among those whose CEO has spoken out and consider how your company might benefit from the CEO expressing a public opinion, particularly if aligned with the company’s corporate values and principles.
  • Make sure the CEO and other top leaders know which issues they need to prepare for.Companies need to be prepared to respond to issues whether they preemptively decide to speak out or not. We have witnessed the media as well as consumer groups asking companies for the leaders’ stances on particular issues, and a “no comment” can be easily open for misinterpretation from a company’s point of view. Organizations should have a plan in place in the event stakeholders demand a perspective.
  • Shape your response around employee expectations and company values.Companies need to be firmly tapped into the pulse of employee sentiment on societal issues before they make a move that may not be in line with employee attitudes and expectations.
  • Understand that the wide reach of CEO activism is not just limited to the US.While much of the public focus on CEO activism revolves around emerging issues in the US, companies around the world are faced with deciding whether their leaders should respond. Our research shows that there is increased planning and preparation in China and the UK, in addition to the US.

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Oracle Eloqua Innovations Accelerate Lead Generation and Increase Conversion Rates

Oracle Eloqua Innovations Accelerate Lead Generation and Increase Conversion Rates

New Content Creation, Sales Tools and Auditing Capabilities Help Marketers Increase Efficiency and Creativity

Recently, to help marketers accelerate lead generation and increase conversion rates, Oracle had announced a series of updates to Oracle Eloqua. The latest innovations within Oracle Eloqua help marketers communicate with their prospects and customers as efficiently and easily as possible by introducing new content creation, sales tools, and auditing capabilities.

“In order to drive sales and strengthen brand and customer loyalty, B2B marketers increasingly have to deliver irresistible, consistent and connected experiences to customers wherever they are and however they choose to engage,” said Pierre Custeau, VP, product management, Oracle Eloqua.

Read More: Interview with Shashi Seth, Sr. Vice President, Oracle Marketing Cloud

Pierre added, “To help our customers meet these increasing expectations, we are focused on delivering innovations within Eloqua that bring efficiency and creativity to the way marketers work. With the addition of powerful new content creation, sales tools and auditing capabilities, we are continuing to set the industry standard for marketing automation.”

Part of Oracle Marketing Cloud, Eloqua is a B2B marketing automation platform that helps marketing teams nurture prospects through email marketing and cross-channel marketing.

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The new enhancements to Oracle Eloqua enable customers to:

Quickly and Efficiently Create Compelling and Creative Landing Pages

A new Eloqua Landing Page Editor enables marketers to build out-of-the-box landing pages without touching code and provides an enhanced guided experience with more interactive elements to further increase efficiency and spark creativity. With the new landing page editor, marketers can natively build responsive landing pages featuring image carousels with rotating images and add video backgrounds to create more engaging content without needing technical expertise or outside agency support.

Streamline and Optimize the Sales Process

New Eloqua Sales Tools for Microsoft Outlook enables sales teams to access rich buyer insights, relevant content and track emails sent to prospects without having to leave their email platform of choice. The new integration with Microsoft Outlook also provides a seamless and consistent experience for sales teams that work across a range of platforms and devices by enabling users to easily access Eloqua Engage and Eloqua Profiler.

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Enhance Security, Tracking and Auditing

A new comprehensive logging and auditing procedure for all major accounts and objects further enhances the security and tracking capabilities within Eloqua. The new auditing capabilities ensure any sensitive data within Eloqua is protected against unauthorized usage or retrieval and enable users to obtain insights about login history, detailed audit insights and enhanced audit reporting that includes the ability to export audit logs for up to 25 months in CSV and XLS format.

Oracle Marketing Cloud is part of Oracle Customer Experience (CX) Cloud Suite, an integrated suite of applications that empower organizations to take a smarter approach to customer experience management and business transformation initiatives. By providing a trusted business platform that connects data, experiences and outcomes, Oracle CX Cloud Suite helps customers reduce IT complexity, deliver innovative customer experiences, and achieve predictable and tangible business results.

RRD Launches Cloud Direct by RRD to Help Omnichannel Marketers Integrate Online and Offline Personalization

RRD Launches Cloud Direct by RRD to Help Omnichannel Marketers Integrate Online and Offline Personalization

Available within Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Cloud Direct by RRD Drives Multichannel Campaigns by Integrating Digital and Direct Mail to Improve Targeting and Reach

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, a leading global provider of multichannel solutions for marketing and business communications, announced the launch of Cloud Direct by RRD, a trigger-based direct marketing application — housed within Salesforce Marketing Cloud — that improves targeting and extends the Marketing Cloud platform by fully integrating digital and direct mail channels.

“Modern marketing is not about taking sides between channels, but using data to get on the side of the customer”

Available within Journey Builder, Marketing Cloud’s cross-channel customer engagement solution, Cloud Direct by RRD, allows businesses to connect customer interactions across email, mobile, advertising, and the web. Cloud Direct by RRD leverages Marketing Cloud to drive customer engagement and response through the most meaningful communications channel.

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“Modern marketing is not about taking sides between channels, but using data to get on the side of the customer,” said Doug Ryan, President, RRD Marketing Solutions. “Our goal is to help our clients thoughtfully connect with their customers through the channels that will maximize their marketing spend. Cloud Direct by RRD does just that by extending our capabilities to integrate and optimize both digital and print communications. We’re excited to bring this innovative new capability to move closer to true omnichannel marketing.”

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Here is a small sample of real-world marketing solutions where Cloud Direct by RRD shines brightest:

  • Sending a personalized direct mail offer to high value customers
  • Triggering a direct mail piece when a subscriber email bounces
  • Sending a direct mail piece to promote engagement when a customer has not opened or clicked via digital channels
  • Providing a reacquisition incentive via direct mail that is triggered if a customer unsubscribes
  • Sending a personalized direct mail offer that leverages browse and cart abandonment data

Salesforce, Marketing Cloud and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc.

S4M Granted Continuation of Its MRC Accreditation

S4M Granted Continuation of Its MRC Accreditation

S4M, a leading drive-to-store technology provider, announces the renewal of its Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for HTML5 mobile web and in-application display and rich media Served Impressions, Clicks, and post-click metrics for Installs, Opens and Landings. To this day, S4M remains the only vendor accredited by the MRC for mobile post-click metrics.

 

S4M

The Media Rating Council is a non-profit industry association established in 1963 in the United-States.  Its goal is to ensure that measurement services are valid, reliable and effective. Vendors and services desiring MRC accreditation are required to disclose all methodological aspects of their service to their customers, comply with the MRC Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research as well as other applicable industry measurement guidelines, and submit to MRC-designed audits to authenticate and illuminate their procedures.

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“The online advertising market has often been accused of a lack of transparency, so it falls to its vendors to enlist a reliable third party to validate and guarantee their campaign results,” says Christophe Collet, CEO and Founder of S4M. “For a company like S4M, our initial MRC accreditation in 2016 meant months of audits and several hundred hours of work. A time-intensive-and intricate process, particularly for our Product team. This is why we are once again proud to say that we are the only market player worldwide able to bring this level of guarantee to the brands and agencies we work with.”

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Indeed, this accreditation by a trusted third party provides advertisers and media agencies who use the FUSIO by S4M platform with assurances that they are only buying ad metrics which comply with the MRC’s strict standards, as well as with measurement guidelines put forth by the MRC in collaboration with both the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association). S4M’s MRC accreditation goes beyond the traditional mobile campaign performance metrics such as impressions and clicks to validate the measurement of installs, opens and landings. This accreditation was granted for measurements based on S4M’s proprietary technology for HTML5 ad formats.

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Paper or Digital? Keep Me Posted North America Launches to Protect the Consumer’s Right to Choose

Keep Me Posted (KMP) announced the launch of its campaign in North America. KMP is a global advocacy campaign working for the right of every consumer to choose, free of charge, how they receive important information from their service providers – on paper or electronically.

Overseen by Two Sides North America, the KMP North America campaign will focus on educating and challenging corporations that are removing consumer choice and charging fees for paper. The campaign will coordinate with KMP global campaigns already launched in several European countries and Australia.

KMP has also partnered with the Coalition for Paper Options, Consumer Action, Haven Neighborhood Services, Montana Organizing Project, National Consumers League, and The National Grange to form a coalition to protect the consumer’s right to choose between paper and digital communications.

Millions of North American consumers are currently disenfranchised by increased digitization and need to receive bills and statements on paper due to reasons such as: lack of internet access, digital abilities, and growing security concerns with online fraud.  Others prefer paper for convenience and practical reasons.

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Results of a 2017 Toluna consumer survey conducted in the US indicated that 90% agree that they should have the right to choose how they receive communications (printed or electronic) from financial organizations and service providers. 83% agree they should not be charged more for choosing a paper bill or statement.

According to a study by the Pew Research Center in 2018, 50% of American senior citizens, 76% of those who have not completed high school and 55% of those living in households with an annual income under $30,000 did not have broadband internet at home. These numbers have increased since 2013 because of the cost of internet access.

In Canada, approximately 18% of households do not have access to fixed broadband Internet access services at the CRTC target speeds and 64.4% of families in the lowest income quintile (the 20% lowest earners) used the internet at home compared to a national average of 86.9% (CRTC, 2016 and 2017).

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“Keep Me Posted will be building a coalition of supporters (consumer groups, physical and mental health charities, trade unions and industry) to promote the adoption of the Keep Me Posted pledge from service providers,” states Phil Riebel, Director, Keep Me Posted North America. “By presenting the facts about consumer needs and preferences related to paper-based communications, our coalition will work with service providers to ensure consumers are not forced to go digital.”

“The majority of adult Americans prefer to receive at least some of their bills and statements in paper format and believe that paper format should continue to be provided to those who want it, at no extra cost,” states Linda Sherry, Director of National Priorities for Consumer Action. “The Keep Me Posted campaign is a much-needed effort to educate consumers and generate support for giving consumers the right to choose the way they want to communicate with service providers.”

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METRO Leverages Zilliant IQ Platform in Turkey

METRO Leverages Zilliant IQ Platform in Turkey

Actionable Intelligence for Smarter B2B Foodservice Decisions

Zilliant, a multi-tenant SaaS company that helps B2B enterprises turn data into actionable intelligence to accelerate profitable growth, announced that METRO, a leading international specialist in food wholesale and retail, will implement and utilize the Zilliant Price IQ platform in Turkey.

“We believe that Zilliant is the right partner to support our ambitious growth plans,” said METRO Cash & Carry Foodservice Director Deniz Alkaḉ. “They are uniquely positioned to deliver optimized pricing guidance in both our Cash & Carry and Foodservice Delivery (FSD) businesses.”

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METRO had investigated multiple software companies in the marketplace and concluded that Zilliant Price IQ was the only solution able to simultaneously address both shelf and FSD pricing optimization. Using a thorough business diagnostic process, Zilliant uncovered significant pricing opportunities by leveraging AI and advanced analytics, therefore solidifying METRO’s decision to engage in a long-term partnership with Zilliant.

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“We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with the METRO group,” said Zilliant President & CEO Greg Peters. “Zilliant is uniquely positioned among price optimization and prescriptive sales solution vendors to deliver a single solution and instance that can enable B2B companies to accelerate profitable growth with AI-driven actionable insights that result in smarter commercial decisions throughout the company.”

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2018’s Cyber Monday Breaks All Records, Reports Adobe

Adobe Leverages Their Powerful Analytics Engine to Conclude Record Sales of $7.9 Billion on Cyber Monday for the Year 2018

Adobe Analytics released a consolidated report to share facts pertaining to Cyber Monday and the holiday week that went by on Monday. Here is a snapshot of the report-

  • $7.9 billion spent on Cyber Monday alone – 19.7 percent increment YoY
  • $3.7 billion spent on Thanksgiving Day – 28.7 percent growth YoY
  • $6.2 billion spent on Black Friday – 23.6 percent rise YoY
  • $6.4 billion spent on November 24, 25 – Biggest shopping weekend in the USA
  • $58.5 billion spent in November (till the twenty-sixth) – 19.9 percent growth YoY
  • $1 billion spent by shoppers on an average, every day – 1 to 26 November till 1900 hours ET
  • Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store (BOPIS) saw a whopping fifty percent increase YoY
  • Brick & Mortar stores saw 28 percent higher conversions – thanks to the blending of online and offline shopping

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Adobe also compiled a report specific to mobile phone shopping revenues-

  • $2.1 billion in revenues from smartphones for Cyber Monday (up from $1.4 billion in 2017) – 48.1 percent growth YoY
  • Smartphone’s traffic share (when compared to the personal computer) grew by 16 percent overall
  • 4 % site visits from smartphone – 7.8 percent tablets & 43.6 percent smartphones
  • Smartphones generated 34% of revenues – 7 percent tablets & 26.3 percent smartphones

This is America’s first Cyber Monday where more than 50 percent of site visits have happened via a smartphone.

The Most-Sold Products

  • Nintendo Switch
  • Little Live Pets
  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • LG TVs
  • Drones (DJI, Air Hogs, Sky Viper)
  • Dell laptops
  • FurReal Pets
  • Amazon Echo devices

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“Cyber Monday sales topped $7.9 billion according to Adobe Analytics data, making it the single largest shopping day in US history,” said John Copeland, Head of Marketing and Customer Insights at Adobe. “Sales coming from smartphones hit an all-time high of $2 billion and we saw a significant spike in the ‘Buy Online, Pickup In-Store’ trend.”

Adobe should be complimented on the way they have detailed the report. These extremely deep-dived statistics are only possible due to Adobe’s Sensei – Adobe’s technology powered by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Sensei extracts data from a trillion data points that flow into Adobe’s analytics engine and Magento’s Commerce Cloud — parts of the Adobe Experience Cloud. Adobe’s acquisition of Magento has added major capabilities for Adobe in their digital transformation endeavors.

Here are some statistics about Adobe’s Analytics Engine:

Recommended Read: Marketing Technology Bulletin Covering the Week Gone By

Serial Entrepreneur, Godard Abel, Leads $10 Million Investment in 3D Product Visualization Technology, ThreeKit

Serial Entrepreneur, Godard Abel, Leads $10 Million Investment in 3D Product Visualization Technology, ThreeKit

Strategic Investment Further Strengthens 3D Visualization Capabilities, Allowing Brands to Create More Interactive and Personalized Online Shopping Experiences

Serial entrepreneur, Godard Abel, has led a $10 million seed round investment in ThreeKit, a 3D product configuration and visualization platform, to help the company further meet the demands of brands for more interactive and personalized e-commerce experiences. The investment will fund talent acquisition, and product and business development for the rapidly growing company.

ThreeKit was founded by Ben Houston, a 15-year veteran in Hollywood Visual FX software, and a dedicated group of 3D pioneers and visual effects professionals. After creating 3D visualization technology for the special effects used in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies, the group has been working with brands to use this same technology to revolutionize the online experience. Houston will now serve as Chief Technology Officer of ThreeKit.

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Abel will take the role of executive chairman of ThreeKit. The leadership team will be comprised of B2B commerce veterans from several well-known companies in the space, including BigMachines (acquired by Oracle), SteelBrick (acquired by Salesforce), CloudCraze (acquired by Salesforce), and G2 Crowd. Executives will include:

  • Joachim Klein, President and COO
  • John Kim, SVP of Sales
  • Slava Kovelman, VP of Operations
  • Kelly Wilson, VP of Customer Success
  • Nancy Rizkallah, VP of Finance

Together, the team has created over $1 billion in investor value and over 1,000 high-tech jobs. Now, they will leverage their expertise to give brands the ability to differentiate their customer experiences through next-generation 3D product visualization, virtual photography and augmented reality (AR).

“Traditionally visualization technologies have been clunky and difficult to use, but ThreeKit is a holistic platform that allows sellers to create their own interactive product experiences for their web stores,” said Houston. “Originally built for Hollywood, we saw a major opportunity to bring this technology to e-commerce, and are leading a new standard of product experience in the industry.”

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ThreeKit’s solutions allow brands to move from static images to a completely interactive 3D experience online, with features such as custom product designs, product tours and more. Additionally, powerful AR and virtual photography capabilities allow customers to preview their customizations before making their purchase decision. By using these tools and showing consumers exactly what they’re getting, brands can see a 40 percent increase in online conversions and an 80 percent reduction in online returns. Brands already leveraging ThreeKit technology include Crate & Barrel, Steelcase and CÎROC.

“There has been a critical gap in the ability of brands to provide engaging product experiences in their web stores, but ThreeKit is solving for this by fulfilling the touch and feel needs consumers have when shopping online,” said Abel. “It’s clear the company is leading a new generation of immersive and experiential commerce, and I look forward to accelerating its momentum to be a world market leader in 3D visualization technology.”

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Survey of Retailers Reveals Mainstream Adoption of Recurring Revenue Programs in 2019

Survey of Retailers Reveals Mainstream Adoption of Recurring Revenue Programs in 2019

Eighty-Three Percent of Retailers Surveyed View Converting One-Time Buyers into Recurring Customer Relationships as Very Important for Their Overall Retail Strategy in 2019

According to a new study commissioned by Ordergroove, the leader in Relationship Commerce, retailers view converting one-and-done shoppers into recurring customers as very important for their business and expect that recurring revenue programs will be a significant driver of revenue for their organizations in 2019. Findings from the study, “Retail 2019: The Year of the Recurring Revenue Model” will be presented at National Retail Federation (NRF) 2019: Retail’s Big Show, to be held in New York City on January 13-15, 2019.

83% of retailers surveyed agree that converting one-and-done buyers into recurring customers is very important for their overall retail strategy. Get the full results of Ordergroove’s survey: https://www.ordergroove.com/2019_survey_download #relationshipcommerce #NRF2019

Recurring revenue programs – such as subscriptions, reordering, and membership programs – enable brands to transform shopping experiences from one-time consumer transactions to frictionless, recurring relationships that drive predictable, profitable revenue streams.

Retail 2019: The Year of the Recurring Revenue Mode
Retail 2019: The Year of the Recurring Revenue Mode

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Key findings from the study, which surveyed retail leaders representing companies with an annual revenue exceeding $100 million, include:

  • 83 percent of retail leaders surveyed agree that converting one-and-done buyers into recurring customers is very important for their overall retail strategy.
  • 54 percent expect significant growth in revenue in 2019 and beyond from recurring customer purchases.
  • Today, 65 percent of respondents offer subscription programs; additional 22 percent are thinking of adding them in 2019.

Relationship Commerce Also Equates to Value for Consumers

Retailers are experiencing a clear correlation between recurring customer purchases and customer satisfaction, with 86 percent of respondents indicating that their subscription customers are more satisfied than their non-subscription customers. Additionally, more than half state their overall Net Promoter Score (NPS) has increased since launching subscription offerings.

“In today’s on-demand world, consumers have more choices than ever and are choosing those retailers and brands who make their lives’ easier,” said Greg Alvo, CEO, Ordergroove. “Retailers who are not investing in frictionless relationship commerce programs are merely acquiring customers and absorbing the Cost of Customer Acquisition (CAC), only to lose profitability and Lifetime Value (LTV) to Amazon. Amazon’s investments in programs like Prime for memberships, Subscribe & Save for subscriptions, Dash for IoT reordering and Alexa for voice reordering are all part of a master plan to build a recurring revenue business centered around the highest level of consumer convenience.”

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Alvo continued, “It’s clear from this study that retailers are responding with their own recurring revenue programs and are putting a relationship commerce strategy in place, elevating recurring revenue programs from a sideline to a business imperative.”

Results of the study will be highlighted at the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2019: Retail’s Big Show during the Big Ideas session: “The Big Shift – Moving from transactional to relationship-driven commerce,” on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 2:45 p.m. on Stage 6, EXPO Hall, Level 3. The session will feature Ordergroove CEO Greg Alvo and Colin Watts, Consultant and former CEO of The Vitamin Shoppe. Ordergroove will be at Booth 4364 during NRF.

The survey was conducted by NAPCO Research in November 2018 among close to 300 retailers. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.

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