Group FIO

  Without getting too philosophical, there’s no denying that mobile devices have redefined our lives and our expectations. Today we get what we want, whenever and wherever we want it simply by looking at the device in the palm of our hands. Anything from buying dinner to directions to travel cross country to looking up historical data is accessible in a matter of minutes. This type of ready access to all things means the way we do business and how we reach our customers has also dramatically changed. No longer a linear funnel, the customer journey has fractured into numerous touchpoints where decisions are made and preferences formed in real-time. These interactions, in modern marketing parlance, are called “moments.” What is Moments Marketing? You may not realize it, but it’s likely you’re already familiar with moments in time marketing; in fact, it’s probably already an active part of your life. Have you ever been wondering what to have for dinner only to look at your smartphone ...

  Gamification is one of those buzzwords you often hear during brainstorming sessions, but when it comes to loyalty programs, it’s become much more than just a fad. Having a gamification component to your loyalty program or app is one of the most proven ways to keep customers happy and engaged with your client’s brand. That said, many have found that when they try to incorporate gamification into a business without proper research and data intel on their customers and target audience, they often end up feeling as if they’re performing without a net. The same goes for sophisticated customer retention solutions, such as robust loyalty programs. It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that most loyalty programs centered around the “buy some/get one” punch card model, along with the occasional direct mail special coupon offer. But with the exponential growth of eCommerce and the birth of the smart, sophisticated modern consumer, loyalty programs have branched out from simply rewarding p...

  If 2021 had a marketing buzzphrase, it was certainly “customer engagement.”  While nearly all brands were zeroed in on how to best achieve the best customer experience possible throughout their entire ecosystem, many found themselves confused as to how to best achieve that top-notch CX, particularly in a crowded eCommerce world where competitors are continually fighting for space and social share. True customer engagement is a combination of emotion and behavior; it is the interaction of how customers feel and what they actually do. And today’s consumers have high expectations for how brands cater to those emotions and behaviors. Customers today expect that brands are “armed and ready” at any given moment of the day to not only meet their needs but astound them with their integrated services and customer experience excellence. This type of “real-time” marketing effort is what it takes to create engaged customers, and an engaged customer develops positive sentiments toward th...

  Put your “imagination” cap on and consider how different our modern-day world would be if the eCommerce environment functioned like brick-and-mortar stores. In this divergent reality, when you bring up amazon.com on your laptop, instead of seeing a smorgasbord of goods to buy, there is just a note reading: “SORRY, WE’RE CLOSED. Hours of Operation, 9a-5p M-F.” It’s a laughable, foreign idea, right? How did we survive in an age where we couldn’t order anything from bath towels to construction equipment any time the mood struck? Only twenty-some years into the internet age and it’s nearly impossible to conceive of a world where our every behavioral buying whim isn’t catered to any and every minute of the day. As consumers, we understand the advantages of an always-on world. As marketers, though, we’re still playing catch-up. Current and potential customers are looking for information 24/7. To capture their attention and their business, you need to be where they are, whenever they’re...