In the 12 months ahead, marketers might be trying to expand the channels and ordering methods that customers can use to buy online. Many of those channels have been around for years (see shoppable ads, below), but they might be tied together and more engaging because of AI innovations marketers will adopt in greater numbers.
Making every order option available for retail shoppers
As is the case with customer experience, 2024 will find marketers leveraging AI to create a more robust ecommerce presence. The data might be connected, enabling brands to supply more ways for shoppers to find and purchase, either digitally or in physical stores.
“If a customer wants something now, and they know that a giant box retailer has it at a store right down the road, they need to be certain that they’ll order on their phone, while they’re sitting in front of the TV,” said Keith Kirkpatrick, research director, enterprise applications for The Futurum Group. “They need to be certain that it’s in stock, and that it can be ready at 10:30, in order that they can go there at 10:30 and it’s there.”
The mixing of physical and digital channels, sometimes called “phygital,” really picked up in the course of the first 12 months of the COVID pandemic. Now, there’s no going back. Brands have to be all over the place.
“It’s a more efficient way of doing things, and it puts the client first,” Kirkpatrick said. “Organizations are attempting to do this, and they’re also attempting to inject more personalization and anticipate what customers need based on their activity through an app.”
In this context, the term “phygital” is potentially misleading. Yes, the aim is to make each digital and physical experiences available for each customer journey upon request. But it’s the digital component that connects and drives the experience, even when it’s a straightforward receipt or survey emailed to a customer after their purchase at a physical store.
For brick-and-mortar retailers, improved AI and automation will help fill the gaps in order that they aren’t neglecting beneficial online feedback and queries from customers.
“Beyond limiting online visibility, ‘ghosting’ severely hampers a brand’s overall digital performance,” said Monica Ho, CMO of digital marketing company SOCi. “In 2024, advancements in AI and automation will address this issue. These technologies exist now and enable retailers to supply prompt, personalized responses at scale, boosting customer satisfaction and improving the net experience.”
Using AI for optimal tone and brand consistency
Ecommerce brands can only approximate the human warmth experienced by a successful in-store purchase. But brands can go a good distance with AI-powered chat and content creation if the models are trained right.
“Tone is critical in relation to communicating with consumers and it might truly make or break a brand,” said Joscha Koepke, head of product at conversational marketing company Connectly. “Emojis, humor, empathy — these are all nuances that have to be incorporated into retail and ecommerce communications to make sure messages come across as authentic along with personalized.”
He added, “AI models will have to be trained to codify and operationalize brand tone. In 2024, achieving the precise tone via AI might be a serious priority for brands, particularly as they increasingly use channels like conversational commerce. This will result in stronger conversations, an increased customer base, and more loyal customers.”
More shoppable ads will drive ecommerce sales
Creative programming tie-ins and higher buyer experiences will lead the method to more shoppable ads in 2024.
“Consumers want an omnichannel experience and the arrival of Shoppable Ads in streaming environments brings this closer to reality,” said Michael Scott, VP of sales and ad operations for Samsung Ads.
In a recent survey, Samsung Ads found that shoppable ads produce great brand recall, along with interaction with the brand. Not only did 55% of respondents recall seeing the ad, but half of those that remembered the ad also interacted with it.
“In 2024, we don’t see this slowing down,” Scott said. “When consumers see a product on TV, they need to have the option to quickly learn more or purchase that product and increase the benefit of access along their path to buy.”
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Shoppable ads will connect the dots for retail and beauty, especially amongst Gen Z
Shoppable ads on Roku have gained heavy involvement from traditional retailers like Walmart, together with traditional and direct-to-consumer brands in health and beauty, electronics, home and consumer packaged goods. A most important goal is Gen Z.
“A whopping 96% of Gen Z adults subscribe to no less than one streaming service, and 46% spend two hours or more every day streaming TV,” said Peter Hamilton, senior director, ad innovation, at Roku. “If we pair this viewing data with the impact this audience group has had on the wonder industry — including their adoption of strong brand loyalty and their commitment to support accessibility and inclusivity in beauty — we will expect the wonder market to play a giant role in the expansion of shoppable ads in TV streaming in 2024.”
Brands which can be available through traditional retailers might be the more than likely adopters of shoppable ads over the subsequent 12 months.
“Walmart as a brand is leading the charge with explorations of checkout experiences coming from bespoke content corresponding to probably the most recent holiday RomCommerce Show,” Hamilton said.
He added: “While the concept of shoppable ads just isn’t latest and is a feature the industry has been talking about for greater than 20 years, the technologies that support them have advanced considerably up to now few years. Building on the backs of social commerce, we’re in a position to connect the dots between product catalogs, checkout APIs, and authentication to create frictionless buying experiences on the most important screen in the house.”
Dig deeper: Roku partners with Shopify to permit purchases direct from TV
Consumer and B2B marketers adopt composable commerce systems
Marketers will go for more flexible, composable ecommerce systems, especially within the context of product discovery, in keeping with Andrea Polonioli, senior product AI marketing manager for enterprise software company Coveo.
“We’re seeing composable commerce gaining momentum not only in B2C but additionally in B2B with an increasing variety of brands, retailers and manufacturers shifting away from monolithic commerce platforms to modular, composable services,” said Polonioli. “As we head into 2024, more retailers will lean on composable commerce and the flexibleness, agility and support it affords, in addition to its ability to remodel complex customer journeys into connected experiences across multiple touchpoints.”
Retailers in DIY, electronics and other categories will use this approach to boost customer experience and create seamless journeys. This becomes crucial when there’s an in depth product line and catalogs are complex.
“There is a growing demand for innovation and agility in these domains, coupled with an increasing expectation for greater ROI from successful implementation,” Polonioli said.
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