Seasoning the Sale with Martech
With the Dubai Summer Surprises and the Amazon Prime Day Sale, experts suggest bands leverage sound marketing strategies Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) and the Amazon Prime Day Sale make a perfect mix of excitement and an on-demand hustle. While shoppers are getting their shopping lists updated, expecting to see big discounts, brands are awaiting much-needed […]
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With the Dubai Summer Surprises and the Amazon Prime Day Sale, experts suggest bands leverage sound marketing strategies
Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) and the Amazon Prime Day Sale make a perfect mix of excitement and an on-demand hustle. While shoppers are getting their shopping lists updated, expecting to see big discounts, brands are awaiting much-needed revenue growth.
The 2020 holiday season witnessed a 47 per cent increase in eCommerce sale, and 2021 statistics are expected to go higher. According to Bain & Company and Google, the MENA region is expected to hit the $28 billion mark in eCommerce sales by 2022. With the pandemic swinging companies of all sizes to showcase themselves this sales season aggressively, it could make or break several brands.
The most suitable strategy to prepare for the big sale is to leverage available technology and get ahead of the competition. Experts reckon technology-driven customer experience is one of the best ways to boost sales. From AI-driven solutions to predictive analysis, brands need to up their tech-driven sales game. Here are some technology-driven strategies for brands to adopt this season.
Embracing the Hybrid Reality
Sure, offline shopping will continue to rein in customers and revenue but many are accustomed to online shopping currently. A recent survey by research group YouGov found that in the UAE, most shoppers, 86 per cent, use both online and brick-and-mortar to meet their needs. Grand View Research reported that social commerce occupied 11 per cent of the global retail eCommerce revenue in 2020. While many brands have opened shops in the eCommerce space, many brands are delving into Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPUS) or curbside pickups. But experts advise brands to do away with this strategy.
Customers expect the best of both worlds – in-store experience in omnichannel offerings and digital experiences in on-site stores. Using AR-driven applications, brands can offer the hybrid reality much to the delight of customers. YouGov survey also found that technological innovation, such as virtual or augmented reality tools, offer online retailers an opportunity to reduce barriers by simulating in-person experiences. Interest to adopt virtual or augmented reality is higher in the UAE and among younger age cohorts. Over 50 per cent of shoppers in the UAE claim interest in using these tools for buying clothes, and 46 per cent while buying technology.
Meanwhile, a Statista research study found that mobile AR users are expected to cross the 1 billion mark by 2024. There are several tools and platforms, including CAD Schroer and Yeppar. Brands shouldn’t expect the eCommerce tides and the evolved offline store experiences to turn anytime soon or ever.
Thinking Ahead with Tech
Experts recommend brands to handle all manufacturing, logistical, and supply chain uncertainties with predictive analysis. Handling the rush of anticipated customer demands needs to be seamless to avoid churn rate. With predictive analysis tools, companies can expect reduced downtime, handling tool failures, and maintain demands. Several platforms, such as Liveworx and Altair offer predictive analytical solutions.
Top-notch Advertising
Customers discover new products and brands while scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. This means investing in social media advertising and sponsorships is critical, especially when shoppers look for products to buy. The ‘discovery commerce’ is the best portal for brand visibility during the sales season. Additionally, Amazon offers a tool called ASIN Targeting that could solve the problem as it allows SMEs to place their advertisement on the competitor’s product page. It might irk the rivals, but it’s a smart way to direct prospective leads to their own website. Running advertisements across social media networks is a sure way to gain visibility. Google Ad campaigns with inserted landing page webpage transfer can be leveraged along with a conversion tracking tool in the Google Ads account. Experts also recommend dabbling in Google shopping ads tool to boost sales and revenue.
Additionally, email marketing never gets old. Even though they might get lost under a dozen others from other brands, the game of catching the attention of the customer first is worth the effort. The fragrance company, Poo-Pourri does not shy away from email marketing, especially during the sales and holiday seasons. For instance, they offered six different deals over 12 days during one Christmas season. They anchor on the curiosity aspect to gain a competitive advantage. With the help of e-marketing solutions offered by platforms such as Creativ Company, and using tools such as Advanced Scheduling, the brand could pull off a successful holiday sales season.
Also Read: Native Advertising is Ushering Better Engagement and Sales
Better the Analytics, Clearer the Perspective
It is always good to pre-determine customer insights and work on customer demands and issues to increase brand value. For instance, Numerator recently announced an Amazon Prime Day 2021 Tracker that can provide live updates of order insights, item-level insights, shopper insights, and survey insights. Such analytical tools can help brands gain a clearer perspective about what customers are leaning towards during the sales season, and they can stay a step ahead of competitors.
Delving into Sales Intelligence tools can also help brands release some of the pressure during the red tags season. Like Business Intelligence (BI) vendors that provide dashboards and analytical tools, some SI vendors, including SAS, Sisense, Dome, Tableau, and Spotfire have entire platforms for monitoring and reporting sales data.
Also Read: Selling With Intelligence
Spicin’ It Up
During a Black Friday sale, a sports equipment company, REI chose to close all their 153 locations and encouraged people to go outside rather than shop. It was a non-traditional strategy that they promoted with the #OptOutside hashtag and an outdoor-themed landing page. As a result, they witnessed over nine per cent of revenue growth.
The landing pages play an important role in attracting prospective customers. Creating a seasonal landing page with a holiday flare and clear sale offerings might temporarily stay in the customers’ minds and nudge them to shop for products over there. A single call to action (CTA) on the page can also increase the brand’s sale season conversion rates. There are several tools to revamp landing pages, such as Wix, Square Online and SquareSpace.
Uh-Oh
The recent technical trouble that Indian fashion eCommerce company Myntra experienced during their End of Reason sale is something brands are always worried about during a popular sales season. With successful marketing strategies, brands can expect a horde of customers on their website. During these critical moments, brands hold their breath for their website to brave through the traffic. It is highly possible to lose out on customers and revenue like how Myntra witnessed a 10 per cent sales drop. Experts recommend brands to invest in services like PagerDuty to make sure their website is service ready. It is also advised to press pause on all IT updates. Brands do not want an update glitch to add to the technical stress.
Last year, more than 900 global brands and 3000 stores in 31 malls showcased their products during DSS. With a similar, if not more number of brands making an appearance this year, experts reckon that the brands anchoring their business growth on technology will triumph. Spread across 10 weeks, the 24th edition of DSS will begin on July 1 until September 4 and the Amazon Prime Day Sale is on.
