‘Empty software’ slows the journey to modern marketing maturity

To stay relevant, marketers know they need to ensure they are feeding each and every interaction with customers into their CRM database in order to make each subsequent communication count. But in today’s multi-device, digital consumer era, this is no easy task. So, whether its data science or machine learning or AI, brands understand they have moved beyond the human capacity to scale personalisation and need this kind of technology to help them. Indeed, research shows that marketers, on average, have implemented between 6 to 10 different tools designed to help deliver these tailored experiences but as the tech stack has grown, it has created a chasm between implementation and adoption of different functionalities leaving in its wake a mountain of redundant or ‘empty’ software.

While AI and similar technologies are proven solutions for optimising multi-touchpoint B2C relationships, industry very much needs to help raise the entry point for users and reduce that adoption gap. As it stands, smart technology is hindering them from reaching the sweet optimisation point as they wrangle with unpacking templates from the toolbox model before they can assemble basic campaigns.

Emarsys has risen to the challenge through the introduction of vertical platforms (ecommerce, retail and airline sectors) that automatically surface knowledge using benchmark best practices, saving marketers the chore of dragging and dropping data into cells for uncertain outcomes.

These new vertical marketing platforms comprise a strategic dashboard and tactics engine whereby marketers are able to tie their marketing results directly to stated business objectives. Beyond just tracking and connecting real-time business performance to execution, this platform recommends industry specific strategies and feeds these into an already pre-built engine which contains all creative elements and the relevant data needed for execution.

At Emarsys, we truly believe that if we personalise the user experience for marketers in this way, it will enable brands to graduate faster from foundational marketing tools to more advanced ones and help them do a much better job of personalising the experience for consumers. The idea that software is amazing if only you got better at using it is crazy. Software should be doing the hard work of ensuring marketers are able to meet company objectives, not standing in the way of them and the profits and growth they facilitate.

Consumers don’t ask for too much. They want to know that an offer is genuine, that companies are taking good care of their data, and that every single interaction they have with a brand will be meaningful. While a respectable number of marketers do get close to delivering on these promises, many are interacting with consumers who have been let down in the past.

Consistently delivering tailored offers and recommendations to your customers will help build trust and grow loyal customers as well as do wonders for your brand’s reputation. Additionally, it will help marketers differentiate on things that go beyond getting the basics right, with technology merely facilitating a level playing field.

The bottom line is that businesses can no longer be a little bit digital. However the reality is that many are wrestling with getting up to speed with the very technology that is meant to help them facilitate true omnichannel marketing excellence, and as a result are being hampered by it. The industry needs to step up and provide fit-for-purpose solutions so intuitive as to make marketers of us all.