For sports and entertainment brands, engagement is no longer about sending more messages. It’s about creating connected experiences that feel personal, exciting, and worth coming back for.

Here are the engagement strategies that matter most right now, and how to make them work harder for your brand.

Why fan engagement looks different now

Fans move fast. They jump between channels, follow teams and creators across platforms, and expect brands to recognize them wherever they show up.

They want content that feels real. Offers that make sense in the moment. And experiences that don’t stop when the final whistle blows or the credits roll.

That means engagement needs to be:

• Real-time, not reactive
• Personal, not generic
• Connected across every channel

Let’s break down what that looks like in practice.

1. Real-time personalization across every channel

Personalization still matters. But, speed is just as important as accuracy. Fans expect brands to respond to what they do, not what they did weeks ago.

That could mean:

• Triggering messages based on live behavior, not static segments
• Tailoring content based on preferences, location, or past engagement
• Adjusting journeys when interest drops or excitement spikes

When personalization happens in real time, it feels helpful. When it doesn’t, it feels invisible. So, the goal is simple. Get the right message to the right fan at the right moment, no matter the marketing channel.

2. Immersive and interactive fan experiences

Engagement doesn’t have to stop at content consumption. Fans want to take part.
Interactive experiences help turn passive audiences into active participants. And they give you valuable insight into what fans actually care about.

Think about:

• Live polls, quizzes, and voting during games or shows
• Gamified experiences that reward participation
• Digital activations that extend the event beyond the venue

These experiences don’t need to be complex. They just need to make fans feel involved.

When fans interact, they remember you.

3. Short-form and social-first content fans actually want

Social media is still where fans discover, follow, and connect with brands. But how they use it has changed.

Short-form video now drives discovery. Behind-the-scenes content builds trust. Fan-created content fuels community.

To keep engagement high:

• Focus on short, snackable video that fits the platform
• Share moments fans don’t get anywhere else
• Encourage fans to create and share their own content

Ultimately, the key is to show up where your fans already are, in a way that feels natural.

4. loyalty programs that go beyond points

About 30% of customers sign up for brand newsletters to join loyalty programs

Traditional loyalty programs still work, but fans want more than discounts. They want things like exclusive access, recognition, and experiences that feel unique.

Strong loyalty strategies reward:

• Engagement, not just spending
• Consistency, not one-off actions
• Passion, not just purchases

That could look like early access to tickets, exclusive content, or member-only experiences tied to behavior and interests.

When loyalty feels personal, fans stick around.

5. Seamless ticketing and commerce journeys

Friction kills engagement. If buying tickets, upgrading seats, or purchasing merch feels hard, fans will drop off fast. The best brands connect the entire journey, from discovery to post-purchase.

That means using:

• Clear, simple purchase experiences
• Timely messages that build excitement before events
• Follow-ups that keep fans engaged long after checkout
• Commerce should feel like part of the experience, not an interruption

6. Athlete and creator-led storytelling

93% of marketers agree that customers trust content created by other customers more than brand-created messages. And fans are no different.

Athletes, performers, and creators bring authenticity that traditional campaigns often lack. When done right, these partnerships feel real, not forced.

Effective creator and athlete strategies focus on:

• Long-term partnerships, not one-off posts
• Co-created content that fits the creator’s voice
• Storytelling that feels human and unscripted

When fans trust the messenger, they’re more likely to trust the message.

7. Purpose-led engagement that feels authentic

Fans care about what brands stand for. Especially younger audiences. Purpose-led engagement works best when it’s genuine and consistent.

That could include:

• Supporting causes that align with your audience
• Highlighting community initiatives
• Championing inclusion and accessibility

The key is authenticity. Fans can spot performative messaging instantly.

Focus on actions, not statements.

8. Measuring engagement that actually means something

Opens and clicks still matter, but they don’t tell the full story.

To understand real engagement, look at:

• Repeat interactions across channels
• Long-term retention and lifetime value
• How engagement influences purchases and attendance

The best insights come from connecting data, not viewing channels in isolation. When measurement improves, engagement follows.

Boost your customer engagement today

Customer engagement with sports and entertainment fans is an ongoing relationship. The brands that win focus on relevance, not reach. They connect moments across channels. And they treat fans like individuals, not audiences.

When engagement feels personal, timely, and connected, loyalty comes naturally. And that’s where long-term growth really starts.

To dig deeper into what drives loyalty and how you can build lasting customer relationships, check out our latest customer loyalty report.

For example, in ecommerce, you can’t see reactions to products on the shelf. And in B2B or not-for-profit, you miss the cues you’d get in meetings. A website visit takes far less commitment than a physical interaction, so understanding interest and intent is key to turning casual visitors into engaged customers.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to measure customer interest, spot high-intent behavior, and engage your audience effectively, so you can use smarter targeting in your campaigns smarter and boost conversions.

Contact scoring

Contact scoring let’s you score and rank your contacts with two key metrics (scored between 0-100):

• Engagement: scored on contacts’ interaction and behaviors (such as campaign opens, link clicks, and visits to your website)

• Suitability: scored on a contacts’ profile (such as their job title, industry sector, and location)

These metrics combine to produce a third metric – an overall contact score. As a result, you and your brand can manage and prioritize your most promising prospects. 

The level of contact scoring allows you to understand  who each customer is, and how interested they are in your brand and products. It’s possible to tell:

• How many emails and social posts they’ve engaged with
• How long they’ve spent on your site
• What they’ve bought from you
• How much they’ve spent
• If they engage with your content on multiple channels

You can then use this information to work out how you should connect with your audience next.

Using contact scoring

Once you know who your high and low-interest contacts are, you can use these insights to connect with them more effectively:

1. Map messages to each segment:

High-scoring contacts might receive loyalty offers or exclusive updates, while lower-scoring contacts could enter a re-engagement program or nurture workflow.

2. Automate workflows based on scores:

Use your platform to trigger automations when contacts reach certain scores. For example, send a welcome email series when someone’s engagement score hits a threshold, or alert your team to follow up with high-potential leads.

3. Monitor, adjust, and refine:

Review how each segment responds. If high-score contacts aren’t converting, revisit your scoring criteria or messaging. Scores should evolve with your data and customer behavior.

Modern signals to include

In addition to using traditional metrics like email opens and clicks, you should also consider first-party signals from across your channels, such as:

• Website interactions (time on key pages, product views, downloads)
• Mobile app engagement
• SMS or push notification responses
• Webinar attendance or form submissions

Tracking these signals ensures your scoring reflects real intent, even as privacy rules reduce the reliability of third-party tracking.

eRFM

If you’re in the ecommerce space, eRFM (Recency, Frequency, and Monetary) is another great tool available to you. eRFM is an ecommerce behavioral model designed to help you better understand the potential of your contacts. It’s a combination of the RFM model that looks at a contact’s purchasing behavior, and our engagement model that looks at the engagement of a contact. For example, their:

• Email opens and clicks
• Web sessions
• Abandoned carts

Dotdigital combines these models, to help you better understand and detect purchase intent across various customer types – from inactive contacts to champions.

You can use eRFM groups within your audience segment building stages to make highly accurate segments based on the customer’s likelihood to purchase. You can then continue the use through your marketing automation programs to target customers with the right message, at the right time.

What content should you consider for your customer engagement strategy?

To score your customers’ engagements effectively, as well as your website and product pages, you need content to track against. This is especially useful for new customers that haven’t made a purchase yet, or if your product or service is something people tend to think about for a while before committing. 

Here’s five types of content to consider for your strategy and why:

Blog posts:

Blog articles are liked by most audiences because they’re topical, digestible, and consistent. Many brands will post blogs at least a couple of times a week, typically to distribute via multiple channels to drive engagement. 

This type of content is a great way to measure someone’s level of interest in your company. For example, if they’re frequently reading your posts and clicking through to your site, then you’ll want to consider allocating a good proportion of points to these actions.

Emails:

Marketing emails are a great way to measure your customers’ interest in your brand. You can see when they’ve clicked through and converted, or haven’t, as the case may be. Each time they do or don’t engage with your emails, the more points you’ll reward or deduct.

Webpages:

You want customers to get to your site but you want them to spend time there, navigating through it, and not just bouncing after viewing one page. The more pages a customer views on your site (and the longer they spend on it), the more points you should give them.

Landing pages with forms:

Customers who’ve landed on your page and completed a form are making contact. They’ve taken the time to complete the fields, which means they’re interested in your brand. You should therefore consider giving this type of engagement a sizable weighting in your overall score, and follow up while they’re still warm.

Social media:

Prospects and customers who follow you on social media are likely to be engaged with your brand. By recording this information, you can use it to target customers on a platform they already use, with content they’ve shown interest in.

How to implement customer interest scoring (step-by-step)

If you’re new to measuring customer engagement, here’s a simple way to get started:

1. Decide what“interest”actually looks like for your business:

Start by listing the actions that signal intent. That might be email clicks, product views, form submissions, checkout activity, or time spent on key pages. Pick the signals that matter most to your goals.

2. Group actions by level of intent:

Categorize each signal as low, medium, or high interest. For example, opening an email might be low, while viewing a pricing page or adding an item to cart is high.

3. Assign weights to each action:

Turn those groups into a scoring model. Give high-intent actions more points and low-intent actions fewer. This doesn’t need to be complex — even a simple model will give you a clearer picture of engaged vs passive contacts.

4. Connect your data sources:

Make sure engagement signals from your CRM, ecommerce platform, website, and email tools feed into one place. The more complete your picture, the more accurate your scoring.

5. Create segments based on score ranges:

Build dynamic segments like “high-intent customers,” “warm leads,” or “at-risk contacts.” These help you tailor your messaging based on where someone is in their journey.

6. Test and refine your model:

Monitor how people move between segments. If your “high-intent” group isn’t converting as expected, revisit your weights and criteria. These models are meant to evolve with your data.

What to watch-out for when measuring customer engagement and interest

Even the strongest scoring model has blind spots. Here’s some of these points to keep in mind:

Not all engagement signals mean intent: 

A click doesn’t always equal interest. Sometimes people are curious, distracted, or mis-clicking.

Scores decay over time:

Someone who was hot last quarter may be cold today. Make sure your model includes time-based decay so scores stay relevant.

Don’t over-score single-channel behaviour:

If a customer only engages on email or only browses your site, you might be missing the bigger picture. Multi-channel data gives you a more balanced view.

Watch for data gaps:

Missing ecommerce or CRM data can lead to inaccurate scoring. Make sure the foundational data is clean, synced, and complete.

Keeping these in check helps prevent overestimating or underestimating customers’ true interest.

The impact of privacy changes and new engagement signals

Customer behavior is shifting and so is what you’re able to track. With cookie restrictions, increased privacy controls, and changes from platforms like Apple and Google, traditional signals (such as email opens or third-party cookies) aren’t as reliable as they used to be.

• In-app behavior
• Event attendance
• Onsite search
• Mobile app interactions
• Zero-party data customers willingly share
• Product views and browsing patterns
• Preferences captured through forms or surveys

These signals give you a clearer, privacy-friendly view of customer interest. They also help you build trust because customers know how their data is being used.

Final thoughts

When selling and building relationships online, brands need to work harder to gauge the interest of browsers and customers. Luckily, technology allows you to track this reliably, perhaps even more accurately than in person, as someone behind a screen feels no societal pressure to be polite.

Make sure you’re tracking your customers and potential customers, and have segmentation and automation set up to react to changes. When you’re acting on customer engagement and activity, you’ll be offering super reactive, relevant customer service, at scale.

In this blog, we’ll unwrap practical, heartfelt strategies to help your not-for-profit connect with supporters, and drive impact when it matters most.

Why holiday marketing works beyond retail

While most marketing advice for the season is geared toward ecommerce brands, not-for-profit organizations are sometimes left feeling like Kevin McCallister in Home Alone, forgotten amid the festive frenzy. We may not be able to give out free turtle doves, but we can share some ideas and advice.

Vimal Patel, Co-founder and Managing Director, Giant Digital, a not-for-profit digital agency, says:

“The holiday season is a time of generosity, reflection and hope, when supporters are most open to connecting with the causes that move them. For charities, it’s a powerful opportunity to inspire compassion and turn that goodwill into lasting impact.

Working alongside Help for Heroes on their Send Hope to a Veteran Christmas appeal, we helped enhance the digital experience to better capture the emotion of the season. Together, we tested video and static imagery, linger time and interaction history, as well as building analysis funnels to understand what truly resonated with supporters – insight that continues to inform future engagement today.

When collaboration brings together data, design and storytelling, festive campaigns become more than moments of giving, they become the start of enduring relationships. The true value of seasonal giving lies not only in generosity today, but in the connections that last long after the decorations have come down.“

Inspiring not-for-profit seasonal campaigns and the tactics behind them

How not-for-profit organizations can celebrate 11:11

11:11, also known as Singles’ Day, has become one of the biggest global shopping events of the year. It originates from China, and is now growing in popularity with many brands around the world offering discounts on November 11.

11:11 isn’t just a commercial moment; it’s also culturally known as the “make a wish” time. When people see 11:11 am on their clock, some pause and take a moment to hope for something good to happen.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation cleverly embraced the date, turning November 11 into a powerful opportunity, encouraging people not just to make a wish, but to grant one.

Why it worked

The campaign positions itself perfectly in line with the cultural moment and brings the attention straight to the children the charity supports. The email explains the connection between the numbers 11:11 and making a wish for anyone unfamiliar, and jumps into a real life story.

Including real, tangible stories to show what donations provide gives subscribers a clear understanding of exactly where their money could go and how it will help.

How to replicate it

Any charity can tap into the spirit of ‘11:11 make a wish’. With the holidays being a time for over-consumption, re-framing the moment as an opportunity to grant a wish is a clever way to engage supporters.

Singles’ Day is all about being single and treating yourself, but depending on your organization you can re-frame this to fit your mission. Here are a few ideas:

• Highlight the issues of isolation and loneliness and share how your organization helps combat this
• Talk about the value of independence and highlight how your charity supports people to find freedom and independence
• Simply encourage supporters to donate this Singles’ Day instead of buying themselves a gift

How not-for-profit organizations can drive support on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global movement that kicks off the charitable season each year, taking place on the Tuesday immediately following Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). While BFCM is all about consumer spending and ecommerce deals, Giving Tuesday flips the focus from shopping to giving, encouraging individuals and organizations to support causes they care about.

For not-for-profit organizations, this makes it an ideal day to drive donations, engage supporters, and amplify your impact. With the momentum of the holiday shopping season still high, you can harness the attention and generosity of donors looking to balance the consumer frenzy with acts of kindness.

The Giving Tuesday Data Commons reported that Americans gave a staggering $3.6 billion on Giving Tuesday 2024, marking the most generous Giving Tuesday on record. Subject line: Claim your Giving Tuesday 3X match now

Subject line: Claim your Giving Tuesday 3X match now

Why it worked

This campaign from Doctors Without Borders partnered with a philanthropic fund to offer donation matching. Over Giving Tuesday, donations were triple matched. This makes supporters feel they’re getting more value for their money, mirroring holiday discounting with ecommerce stores but without the not-for-profit organization losing any money themselves. This tactic also encourages donations right away due to the limited time benefits, mimicking flash sales and fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) tactics often used in ecommerce holiday marketing.

How to replicate it

Supporters love to feel their gift goes further. Even without monetary incentives, there are creative ways to add value that benefit both your supporters and your mission.

If you can’t get a donation matching offer like Doctors Without Borders did here, look at other ways to add something extra. This could be something that doesn’t cost much, such as sending a digital holiday card to donors who donate on that day, entering them into a prize draw to win something donated by a local company, or inviting them to a future, exclusive fundraising event.

The American Red Cross used this tactic on Black Friday, offering anyone who donated over $75 on Black Friday a free hat. It’s similar to a classic ecommerce ‘spend and save’ offer where people need to hit a minimum spend to get a unique offer.

Subject line: Black Friday Gift Status: [UNCLAIMED]

How not-for-profit organizations can celebrate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is more than just a holiday, it’s a season that naturally encourages reflection, giving back, and giving thanks. For not-for-profit marketers, it’s the perfect moment to truly connect with your supporters, thank them for their support, and strengthen relationships.

Subject line: Happy Thanksgiving

Why it worked

This Thanksgiving campaign from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital hits you right in the feels. The copy is pretty simple and to the point, while the art work from St Jude patient, Ellen, of a Thanksgiving turkey reminds the reader who they’re supporting.

The campaign also includes a block encouraging readers to share quotes and images from St Jude patients, families, and supporters. This is a great way to get your organization on the social media feeds of others. This act of advocacy from your existing supporters broadens your charity’s reach for free.

Subject line: A New Tradition of Gratitude This Thanksgiving

Why it worked

This example from Food For The Poor is another great approach to Thanksgiving. People really respond to messages of thanks from notable members of your organization, such as your CEO. This heartfelt letter-style email thanks supporters and then suggests fun activities to make the holiday more memorable.

How to replicate it

Find a campaign style that makes sense for your organization and lean into the spirit of the holiday and thank your supporters. Include subscribers who haven’t donated yet, thank them for any interaction, whether that’s liking or sharing your posts on social media, suggesting your charity to others, or donating time. Not everyone has the means to donate financially at the moment, and letting people know you appreciate whatever support they can offer will help build the relationship and keep them engaged.

Not everyone will be checking their emails on Thanksgiving, so be sure to use a cross-channel approach. Use social media and mobile messaging such as WhatsApp, SMS, and MMS to make sure your message is seen by your supporters.

A not-for-profit approach to Black Friday

Black Friday is traditionally known as the biggest shopping day of the year, dominated by discounts, deals, and consumer frenzy. While it’s primarily associated with retail, you can also leverage the attention and urgency of the day to your advantage.

Subject line: The only Black Friday deal that makes a difference for children

Why it worked

This campaign from Save the Children uses really powerful, direct language. ‘by the time black Friday ends, millions of children will go to bed hungry’ and ‘So, before you shop the discounts and deals today, make a gift that has the power to change lives.’ Black Friday is all about consumption, the day when everyone is shouting the loudest to get attention in the inbox, so being direct is necessary. This subject line grabs attention due to the blunt and powerful message and the campaign forces you to consider how you use your money and what’s really important.

How to replicate

Be bold in your messaging, especially on the big sales days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Last year Dotdigital sent 365 million emails on Black Friday alone, and it’s one of the biggest email send days in the calendar. Use your subject line and preheader to get your message in front of supporters, and deliver impact in the campaign itself. Remind people exactly who your organization helps, and include plenty of clear CTAs to capture donations.

A non-commerce approach to holiday gifting

The holiday season is all about gift buying for others. There are a few clever ways not-for-profits can tap into this style and encourage supporters to donate in place of gift buying.

Subject line: Shop gifts for animal lovers in your PJs!

Why it worked

This email campaign from Best Friends Animal Society taps into the comfort angle to get attention in the inbox, highlighting that you can get your holiday shopping done from the comfort of your couch, in your PJs.

In terms of encouraging donations, by packaging up donation amounts into tangible benefits, such as ‘bunny care package’ or ‘life saving road trip’ it helps people visualize exactly where their money is going and the impact it will have.

This approach makes it feel like a better gift, providing something tangible, rather than ‘I made a $20 donation in your name’. The email also calls out that you can send your chosen gift via an adorable e-card or printable card to further add to the gift giving experience.

Why it worked

Save the Children put its own spin on traditional gift guides. It also gives clear outcomes according to donation amounts, making it clear where your support will go. Just like the earlier Black Friday campaign, the copy is still direct and punchy, reminding people what’s important and why now matters more than ever.

The inclusion of a free bag of specialist coffee beans with donations over $150 is another example of a classic ‘spend and save’ tactic.

How to replicate it

Splitting up donation values into corresponding outcomes is a really strong way to drive donations. Even if your website isn’t set up for this kind of positioning yet for collecting the money, you can use a few examples of what different amounts, such as $50, $75, and $100 would do, in your email itself.

For a ‘spend and save’ tactic there are lots of ways to give supporters something extra when they donate above a certain amount. One low cost option is to create an asset that your supporters can post to their social media platforms, telling people they’re a ‘star supporter’ this holiday season. You can set up an automation program to email supporters this asset once they’ve donated a set amount. This is a good way of encouraging supporter advocacy and broadening your brand’s reach on social media too.

How to encourage giving over the holiday season

Holiday marketing isn’t just for retailers, it’s a powerful time for not-for-profits to stand out, tell stories that resonate, and invite action when generosity is at its peak. Relevant messaging is crucial for capturing attention and driving action.

Phil Aiston, Director of Digital Marketing at Manifesto says:

“To cut through the holiday noise, non-profits can go beyond generic appeals and embrace contextual relevance to boost engagement and donations. The key is to demonstrate a clear link between the immediate challenge and the donor’s action.

For The Salvation Army, we used weather-triggered ads in Meta Ads campaigns as part of an omni-channel Christmas campaign. When local weather conditions (rain, snow, cold) were activated, the ad copy became immediately relevant, highlighting how their services protect the homeless during severe weather. This simple innovation created a powerful amplifying effect across the campaign. When weather-triggered ads were live, the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) was 25% higher, and the average donation was £8.78 larger.

This principle applies directly to email marketing too. Segment your list by location or past donation history to tailor subject lines and content. By making your appeal specific to the supporter’s known context, you transform a distant cause into a local, urgent call to action, driving higher engagement and conversion.“

Whether it’s re-framing commercial events like Black Friday into opportunities for good or thanking supporters on Thanksgiving, the key is to lean into the spirit of the season. By combining heartfelt storytelling, bold copy, and creative campaign ideas, you can inspire supporters to see giving not as an afterthought, but as the most meaningful holiday tradition of all.

Gen Z is a tech-savvy and socially conscious generation with high expectations. To avoid being left behind, marketers need to adopt a strategic approach to win the hearts of young audiences. We have some useful tips and ideas that will help you gain Gen Z’s loyalty during the festival season.

Use dynamic countdown timers

If you’re a festival provider, utilizing dynamic countdown timers in your marketing campaigns can be an engaging way to build anticipation and maintain momentum leading up to the big event. 

By including a dynamic countdown timer in your emails, on your website, and in social media stories, you provide a real-time reminder of just how soon the festival is approaching. This helps keep the event at the forefront of your audience’s mind, encouraging excitement and anticipation.

As the countdown progresses, potential attendees may feel a growing sense of urgency to purchase tickets, finalize their festival outfits, or share their plans with friends. This can lead to increased ticket sales, higher engagement, and greater word-of-mouth marketing.

Dynamic countdown timers can be tailored to each user, providing a personalized experience around the event. For instance, if a user has already purchased a ticket, the timer can be adjusted to highlight a different aspect of the festival – such as days left to make use of a special discount on merchandise or to sneak a peek at the festival map.

Share festival inspiration

The festival season is a perfect opportunity for marketers to reach out to younger audiences and showcase their products. One effective way to connect with Gen Z and spark their interest is by sharing festival inspiration.

Here are some examples of how different industries can leverage festival inspiration in their marketing:

Sunglasses: Create a festival-style guide blog post featuring trendy sunglasses for different music genres (think classic aviators for rock festivals or statement-making geometric frames for electronic music events). Include tips on how to choose the right sunglasses for sun protection and comfort during long festival days.

Food delivery service: Develop a festival foodie survival guide with meal-prepping suggestions and recipes for easy-to-pack, on-the-go meals perfect for festival camping. Offer special festival season discounts or partner with popular food vendors at the festival to provide exclusive deals for your app users.

Travel app: Design a hidden gems at festivals interactive map that highlights unique experiences and must-see attractions beyond the main stages. Users can discover hidden art installations, secret food stalls, or chill hangout spots based on their interests.

By sharing festival inspiration that caters to Gen Z’s desire for individuality and unique experiences, your brand can establish itself as a valuable resource and build a connection with your target audience. The key is to offer creative and practical content that goes beyond simply promoting your products.

Gamify their experience

Gamification can make your email marketing campaigns more exciting and enjoyable for your audience, which is exactly what festivals are all about. You can add interactive games that incorporate elements of your brand, products, or the festival theme to mirror the energy of the event.

As a festival provider, you might be interested in adding some games to your emails. Here are some examples of games that you could consider:

Prediction: Prediction games can be a great way to break the ice among your festival audience. By inviting attendees to make predictions about the festival experience, you can create a buzz of anticipation and friendly competition. This interactive approach is not just fun, but it also provides valuable insights into what excites your festival-goers. You can use this information to tailor future events and offerings to better meet their expectations and keep them coming back for more.

Quiz: Quizzes can be useful tools for creating a dynamic way to engage with your festival audience. You can create quizzes that align with your festival’s theme, artists, or even local culture. Quizzes can not only educate attendees about the festival but also collect marketing permissions for future outreach. Quizzes can also foster a sense of community and loyalty, ultimately driving excitement and brand loyalty.

Poll: Polls are a quick and easy way to gather feedback and understand your audience better. You can ask questions about their favorite festival foods, preferred merchandise, or even suggestions for future events. Polls are not only informative, but they can also be a fun way to interact with your audience.

By incorporating gamified elements, you can increase engagement with your email marketing campaigns and create a more memorable experience for Gen Z audiences. Remember, the games should be fun, relevant to the festival theme, and offer enticing rewards to incentivize participation.

Make sustainability a priority

Gen Z gets it – the planet’s future depends on all of us. That’s why disposable everything just doesn’t fly at festivals anymore. Show them you’re on the same page by making sustainability a priority in your campaigns. Here’s how you can rock the eco-friendly vibe:

Food and beverage: Introduce limited-edition, reusable water bottles or collaborate with festivals to raise awareness and provide access to sustainable hydration options.

Cosmetics: Focus on promoting eco-friendly products while offering tutorials on achieving festival-ready looks with multi-use products to reduce waste.

Camping gear: Emphasize the durability and longevity of your products. Go a step further by partnering with environmental organizations for post-festival clean-up efforts, showcasing your genuine commitment beyond sales.

Remember to be open and honest about your sustainability efforts. Share your goals and initiatives with your audience. Gen Z values authenticity, so ditch the greenwashing and focus on real action.

By embracing these steps, you’ll not only contribute to a healthier planet, but you’ll also build lasting brand loyalty with Gen Z. Remember, a little green goes a long way for a happy planet and a happy Gen Z crowd.

Leverage social media influencers

Gen Z is known for its love of social media, and partnering with influencers during the festival season is a smart move. Identify influencers who align with your brand and have a strong Gen Z following. 

Collaborate with them to create engaging content that showcases your products and services while also capturing the festival spirit. This not only increases your brand visibility but also builds credibility with their audiences, ultimately driving engagement and loyalty.

Here are some examples of how different industries can leverage social media influencers during festivals:

Fashion: Partner with a fashion micro-influencer known for their festival style to create a limited-edition capsule collection inspired by popular festival looks. They can document the design process, share behind-the-scenes snippets, and host a live Q&A session to generate excitement.

Food and beverage: Team up with a foodie influencer who frequents music festivals. They can create a series of short recipe videos featuring easy meals perfect for festival camping. The influencer can highlight your brand’s ingredients or use your portable cooking equipment in the videos.

Tech: Partner with a tech-savvy influencer who focuses on music and live events. They can review your latest wireless headphones or portable charger, showcasing how these products enhance the festival experience. Live product demonstrations during festival sets can also be engaging for their audience.

By partnering with relevant influencers, you can tap into their existing audience and gain valuable brand exposure. Remember, choose influencers who genuinely connect with Gen Z and whose style aligns with your brand identity.

Create exclusive, shareable moments

Festivals are all about creating lasting memories and unique experiences. You can leverage this by creating engaging, Instagram-worthy moments that Gen Z will want to share with their friends. From pop-up installations to live-streaming events, the festival season provides countless opportunities to capture the attention of your audience and spark conversations around your brand.

Here are some examples of how different industries can create exclusive, shareable moments at festivals:

Travel: Design a unique photo booth experience featuring iconic landmarks from various travel destinations. Attendees can share their photos on social media with a specific hashtag to be entered into a contest for a free trip.

Video streaming service: Host a live-streaming event featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with popular festival performers. Encourage viewers to share their excitement and predictions using a branded hashtag to build anticipation.

By creating these exclusive, shareable moments, you can generate organic buzz and positive brand association. Remember, these experiences should be fun, interactive, and visually appealing to resonate with Gen Z’s desire to capture and share their festival experiences.

Support cause-led campaigns

As a socially conscious generation, Gen Z is more likely to support brands that align with their values and advocate for social causes. Identify the issues that your target audience is passionate about and integrate them into your festival marketing campaigns. This not only raises awareness for a significant cause but also demonstrates to Gen Z that your brand shares their values and is committed to making a difference.

Here are some examples of how different industries can support cause-led campaigns during festivals:

Financial services: Partner with a non-profit organization that supports financial literacy for young adults. Set up an interactive booth where festival attendees can participate in fun games or quizzes to learn valuable financial tips. Donate a portion of your festival sales to the non-profit, demonstrating your commitment to their mission.

Sporting goods: Collaborate with an organization that promotes mental health awareness among athletes. Design a limited-edition line of workout apparel with a portion of the proceeds going towards mental health initiatives. Partner with a celebrity athlete who champions the cause to raise awareness and encourage conversations.

Music streaming service: Consider partnering with a music therapy organization to create a special music playlist featuring artists who openly discuss their mental health struggles. In addition, you could donate a portion of your subscription fees during the festival season to support music therapy programs. This will not only help promote mental health awareness but also provide support to those in need.

By supporting cause-led campaigns that resonate with Gen Z, you can build trust and loyalty with your target audience. Remember, authenticity is key – your support should be genuine and go beyond mere performative activism.

Cultivate Gen Z’s loyalty

If you want to target and engage with the Gen Z audience, drive loyalty, and build lasting relationships during the festival season, implementing the following strategies could be highly effective. So, get ready, be innovative, and take advantage of this exciting opportunity to connect with a highly engaged, influential generation that has the potential to shape the future of your brand.

And, better yet, how do we do it?

Customer engagement has been a buzzword for a while now. The internet is packed with articles about creating ‘meaningful customer engagement’. At Dotdigital, we’re guilty of it too. As a customer experience and data platform (CXDP), we have the tools you need to connect with customers and our learning resources are packed with advice on how to drive cross-channel customer engagement.

But what does it really mean when we refer to ‘customer engagement’ is it really as important as people say? We want to demystify this buzzword. In this article, we’re going to explore what customer engagement is, how important it is, and give you some hints and tips about engaging customers online.

What is customer engagement?

The internet is littered with various definitions of customer engagement, but one thing they all share is this: customer engagement is about the interactions between you and your customers. These interactions can happen on a variety of channels and help strengthen your relationship with customers.

Customer engagement begins with a customer’s first interaction with your brand and extends beyond the point of purchase. Ongoing interactions between your brand and your customer are a clear sign your customer is engaged. Customers consuming content on social media, websites, blogs, and email marketing are all engaging with your brand.

Delivering cross-channel experiences gives customers the choice to decide where they engage with you. By offering them a choice, you’ll be able to discover the type of interaction and content they find valuable. This will ultimately lead them to develop a stronger emotional bond with your brand.

You need to deliver content and experiences that add value to create meaningful customer experiences. When customers feel as though they are getting more than just a product or service from your brand, they connect to your brand.

Why is customer engagement important?

Brands are so often concerned with acquisition, clicks, and conversions, that it can be easy to forget the importance of the moments in between. Engaging customers between and beyond purchases will strengthen their emotional connection with your brand. Stronger connections between your customer and the brand will help you retain your hard-won customers.

Beyond simply driving customers down the marketing funnel, customer engagement is about connecting beyond the key touchpoints in your customer journey. Successful customer engagement will keep your brand at the top of the customer’s mind when it comes to the decision-making process. It’ll also make them more responsive to your marketing efforts.

Cross-selling, up-selling, and average order value are just a few metrics that will increase as your customer engagement improves.

The benefits of customer engagement?

Investing time and effort in customer engagement can bring many benefits to your marketing, driving growth and improving customers’ relationships with your brand. Here are several advantages of prioritizing customer engagement as part of your marketing strategy:

Higher customer retention and loyalty

When customers are engaged, they tend to stick with your brand for a long time. This can help to reduce the number of customers who leave your brand while increasing the lifetime value of each customer. When customers feel connected to your brand, they are more likely to become loyal customers who recommend your products to their friends and family.

Higher customer satisfaction

By creating a personal relationship with your customers, you can increase their satisfaction and trust in your brand. When customers feel valued and respected, they are more likely to have positive feelings towards your brand. This can help create a positive image of your brand in their minds and encourage them to choose your brand over competitors.

Improved brand reputation and presence

By engaging with your customers through social media and other channels, you can help to boost your brand’s reputation and presence in the market. When customers have positive experiences with your brand, they are more likely to share those experiences with others. This can help to increase your brand’s reach and attract new potential customers.

Greater competitive advantage

In today’s crowded marketplace, brands that excel at customer engagement have a distinct advantage over those that don’t. By delivering exceptional customer experiences, fostering emotional connections, and consistently exceeding customer expectations, your company will gain a competitive edge that propels growth and attracts new customers.

How to measure customer engagement?

As marketers, we understand the importance of metrics. If we’re going to dedicate our precious time and resources to improving customer engagement, we need to know how to measure the outcomes of our work.

Below are just some of the ways you can start measuring customer engagement levels. Of course, depending on your business and your goals, your definition of engagement may rely on different results, but these are a good place to start.

Average order value (AOV)

The average order value is the average amount customers spend when they make a purchase. This number will tell you how much customers generally spend when shopping on your website. Repeat customers spend about 7x times more than one-time or new shoppers.

This means the higher this metric is, the more repeat customers are returning to your website. If you’re retaining more customers, that’s a clear indication that your engagement efforts are working.

Social interactions

On social media, the total number of interactions is a great way to measure engagement levels. Replies, likes, retweets, comments, and tags will give insight into how successful your social campaigns are. It will also reveal the type of content your audience values. This should help inform your marketing strategy in the future.

Social media ‘impressions’ are not a sufficient way to measure engagement because it is used to measure advertising reach. That means users are only engaging passively – if at all – as they scroll past.

Purchase frequency

Purchase frequency refers to how often customers complete a purchase online or at your store. You can calculate this by dividing the number of orders in the last 365 days by the number of unique customers in the same period.

No. orders in the last 365 days / no. unique customers in the last 365 days

This will help you get a better understanding of your customer lifecycle. When you know how long it takes your average customer to make another purchase you can see how engaged they are and where you need to ramp up your engagement efforts.

Repeat purchase rate

Your repeat purchase rate is the percentage of customers who have made more than one purchase within a set timeframe. This rate will give you a clearer idea of the effectiveness of your customer retention and engagement strategy.

To calculate this rate, you simply need to divide the number of customers who have made more than one purchase over a set period by the total number of customers in the same period.

Newsletter open rates

Email marketing metrics can be tricky to measure customer engagement. This is mainly because email marketing typically involves multiple campaigns going to varied, segmented customer databases. To measure customer engagement with your email marketing, it’s best to focus your metrics on a single campaign going to the bulk of your contacts.

Newsletters are the best option – especially if you send traditional, content-focused newsletters, as opposed to sales-driving newsletters. From there, you can draw insight from open and click-through rates on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Pages per session

How many web pages a customer visits in a single visit to your website (“session”) is a great indicator of how helpful and engaging your content is. The higher the number of pages per session the more interested customers are in your brand and your products. If your numbers are low, there may be a problem with your site structure or the quality of your content.

Tracking this will help you identify any issues, making planning, and improving your customer engagement strategy in the future easier.

Net promoter score (NPS)

NPS is used to measure customer loyalty and how likely customers are to recommend your brand to their peers. You can collect this data by regularly surveying your customers. For quantitative results, you can ask customers to rate their experience with your brand on a numerical scale:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend?”

Or, for more insightful, qualitative feedback, you can use open-ended questions to find areas of your experience to optimize and improve:

“How could we improve your experience?”

How to engage customers online

Engaged customers are good for business. They have a stronger, more emotional connection with your brand. The more engaged they are with your brand, the more they’re going to spend with you, ultimately having a positive effect on your bottom line too.

So, how do we start engaging customers better online?

1. Personalized experiences

Modern customers don’t like impersonal marketing. 72% of consumers say they only engage with personalized marketing messages. With such a high demand for personalized customer experiences, you must make it a core part of your customer engagement strategy.

Due to the meteoric rise of ecommerce giant Amazon, shoppers expect personalized product recommendations to elevate their experience.

However, this is just one way you can personalize customer experiences. Asking customers what they want is a quick win. Using your preference center, you can gather all the data you need to deliver one-to-one experiences.

You can also use behavioral data to delight customers with unique interactions with your brand. Using purchase or browsing history in your content is a great way to show customers you know them.

2. Gamification of content

Gamification is set to take the marketing world by storm. By adding this to your email marketing, you’re giving customers a reason to engage with your marketing for longer.

From a consumer psychology perspective, gamified content creates a positive association with your brand. 

When customers play and win, they’re more likely to remember your brand and engage again in the future. These are fun experiences that require greater engagement from audiences than watching a video. They have to actively participate to gain the benefits, making it one of the ultimate tactics for customer engagement.

3. Loyalty programs

Loyalty programs are a great way to give back to your customers. When they feel as though their valued, as though they are getting back as much, if not more than they invest in you, their connection with your brand will be stronger than ever.

When you use a tier or points-based loyalty program you’re adding value to every interaction a customer has with your brand. This helps make them more invested in your brand. If they don’t shop with you, or enter your social media competition, they will miss out on the additional value they could earn.

Maximize their fear of missing out – the FOMO effect – by implementing a loyalty program that’ll boost their long-term engagement and keep driving them back to you.

4. Chat widgets

Live Chat is not only great at removing obstacles on the path to purchase, but they’re brilliant for year-round engagement with your audience.

It’s a one-to-one engagement on a grand scale. If a customer has a product query or concerns about delivery, your team is on hand to handle it, before it becomes a problem. This level of quick and efficient customer care will raise you high about the competition.

By making your customer services teams available to customers, brands are demonstrating their commitment to the customer experience. And when a customer feels that, they’re going to develop a stronger emotional bond with your business. Putting the customer’s needs first is always a winning tactic.

5. Social competitions

Running competitions on social media is a great way to boost engagement if ever you see your numbers dipping.

Using a competition on social media, you can get customers to share, retweet, comment, or tag your brand. This not only encourages them to engage with your marketing for a chance to win, but it also turns them into ambassadors, helping to amplify your brand to their followers who may be unfamiliar with you.

Simply having customers follow your brand on social goes a long way toward keeping them engaged over time.

Final thoughts on customer engagement

Customer engagement isn’t solely about driving profits – although that is a massive benefit of an engaged database.

It’s about empowering customers to interact with your brand on the channels they want and delight them with unique and personalized experiences. The more you do this, the stronger their connection to your brand will be. Engaging customers and adding value to their experience will keep your brand at the front of their minds.

The better engaged they are, the longer you’ll be able to retain them, and the more loyal they will be to you. Ultimately, this will help your business grow, reduce customer churn, and increase your company profits as loyal customers spend more money with you.

In other exciting news, we are thrilled to announce the acquisition of our long-term partner, Fresh Relevance. With this move, we are able to provide you with the best CXDP experience, empowering you to consistently deliver customer experiences that go beyond expectations. Read more about it here.

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started.

Save time and do more with WinstonAI

WinstonAI, Dotdigital’s marketing intelligence engine, has continued to grow and evolve. From send time optimization and product recommendations, to generative AI assistance, WinstonAI is on hand to make your work life easier. And with this release we’re adding even more features to our generative AI capabilities, helping you streamline your campaign creation process.

Grammar and spell check

What is it?

Built into the campaign builder, WinstonAI will scan your campaign content and provide a spelling and grammar check across email, SMS, surveys, and pages and forms. This will let you know of any errors found and offer suggestions, leaving you in control to adopt as you see fit.

WinstonAI is powered by GPT and our partnership with Microsoft ensures that all data is always secure.

Why is it important?

WinstonAI grammar and spell check allows you to save time, so you can focus on the more creative and important elements of your campaign.

• Reduce time spent proofing campaigns
• Streamline sign-off processes
• Communicate with confidence
• Reduce typos and grammar errors
• Keep standards high and maintain brand reputation
• Spend more time focusing on creative and strategic elements of your campaign

How to get started

Our grammar and spell checker, powered by WinstonAI is now available within the campaign builder. To note, if you don’t want to utilize WinstonAI, there is a toggle option to disable WinstonAI suggestions, so you always have complete control.

SMS in one-click

What is it?

This new WinstonAI feature enables you to easily convert email campaigns into SMS messages with just one click. WinstonAI will do all of the hard work for you and suggest an SMS campaign with copy that is aligned with the message of your email campaign.

Why is it important?

A cross-channel approach is key, and SMS adds a lot of value to your marketing mix. With incredible engagement rates, 60% of SMS are read within 1-5 minutes, and the ability to cut through the noise of a busy inbox, SMS campaigns should be a part of your marketing strategy.

This new feature means you can focus on the message first, and the channel second. Creating SMS has never been this easy, allowing you to increase your reach in no time at all

• Save time and drive far more engagement with just one click
• Deliver cross-channel experiences in seconds
• Focus on creating your message first, and channel second

How to get started

When you’ve finished writing your email in our campaign builder, simply click on the WinstonAI icon and select “convert to SMS”. You’ll then find the suggested SMS campaign in the SMS editor and all that’s left to do is hit send. If you’re not sending SMS yet, start by setting up a free trial in your account.

Shorten SMS

What is it?

Ever written the perfect SMS campaign only to realise that you’ve gone over the character limit? WinstonAI can now analyze your text and provide a shortened version that is suitable for mobile messaging while retaining the essentials of your original content.

Why is it important?

Adhering to the 160-character count limit for SMS texts is crucial to avoid sending multiple consecutive messages and impacting your billing. The WinstonAI shorten SMS feature simplifies the task of condensing lengthy messages, without losing their core meaning. You will also receive the character count of the shortened message.

How to get started

You’ll find the WinstonAI Shorten SMS tool in the SMS campaign editor. Simply click on the WinstonAI icon and select “shorten message” to receive your alternative text.

Elevate your strategy with enhanced SMS

SMS is a great tool to have in your cross-channel strategy. It lands in the palm of your customers’ hand and gets the message across in rapid time. This release we’re launching a host of improvements to your SMS experience. This includes making SMS campaign creation easier, offering improved SMS number capture, and delivering detailed new reporting.

Advanced revenue attribution for SMS

What is it?

Get more insight into campaign performance with our new advanced revenue attribution for SMS. By tracking both direct and assisted campaign revenue, you can now easily identify how different touchpoints are performing throughout the customer journey. This is already available for email and now we’ve added the capability to SMS to ensure you can effectively report on campaign performance across both channels.

Why is it important?

Customer journeys are anything but linear and each touchpoint deserves recognition. ROI is a crucial metric for any business so reliable, detailed reporting is key. A comprehensive understanding of the marketing journey and every individual campaign’s impact is invaluable for managing budgets, future campaign planning, and campaign optimization.

How to get started

Find out more about our revenue attribution models in the help center. To benefit from assisted revenue attribution you must be on a CXDP or Amplify package.

Commerce SMS capture

What is it?

Consumers are shopping on mobile devices more than ever before, so we’re making it easier for our ecommerce partners to maximize every conversion opportunity. Merchants using Magento, Shopware, Shopify, or WooCommerce can now capture SMS numbers as part of the check-out process. Shopify merchants are also able to offer an SMS-only checkout to their customers.

Why is it important?

Embrace the mobile shopping trend by integrating SMS capture at checkout and letting consumers decide how they want to be contacted, keeping your brand connected to the pulse of the customer.

• Acquire more marketing contacts that are opted-in to receiving SMS.
• SMS checkout allows customers to complete their purchases faster.
• Send tailored mobile offers and discounts via SMS.
• Send order updates directly via text messages keeping shoppers informed throughout the whole purchase process, leading to higher satisfaction.

How to get started

You must be a merchant using either Shopify, Magento, Shopware, or WooCommerce and SMS. Head to the help center and search for your ecommerce platform to find out more.

Think bigger with extensive integrations

Our integrations allow you to bring your whole customer journey together and share data every step of the way to better inform your marketing strategy. We know how important fast, accurate data flows are, so we made our API even better.

New integrations area in Dotdigital

What is it?

In our new integrations area you will find a comprehensive directory of all of Dotdigital’s tech integrations, including Dotdigital-built, verified partner and app extensions such as Facebook and Google ads. The integrations area is categorized and has search and filtering functionality, plus each integration will have a profile with a description along with instructions on how to install.

Why is it important?

A core part of our offering as a CXDP is our ability to connect with your entire marketing stack. You can now easily find the integrations you need to create a seamless customer experience that delivers conversions and improves ROI.

• One centralized database for improved visibility and connectivity.
• Have the confidence that the integration you’re reviewing is either Dotdigital built or verified, making choosing new tech easier.
• Discover the steps needed to self-install, or how to get in touch with our partners.

How to get started

You can visit the new integrations area from your Dotdigital account. Not a customer? You can also check out our integrations in the partner directory here.

API V3 and improved rate limits

What is it?

Our all-new API offers a top-of-class CXDP experience. Whether you’re wanting to push data into Dotdigital or send it back to other systems, this new API is changing the game. We’ve also enabled higher rate limits for our existing APIs.

Built with the latest RESTful technology, with service versioning embedded from the start, our family of APIs allow you to:

• Integrate quickly with any other system
• Make up to 6,000 calls per minute so data will always be up to date
• Read data in 30ms – that’s five times faster than you can blink

Why is it important?

These new services are the first of a new batch that will be focused on ensuring our customers and partners can integrate even more seamlessly with Dotdigital. This enables you to freely exchange data which in turn drives incredible customer journeys using our communications and automation capabilities.

• Our CXDP allows high-speed data access without burdensome rate limits.
• Sync insight data as you can now retrieve all modified records since your last call.
• Contacts can be identified using any identifier for improved visibility.
• Consolidate many API calls into one by optionally including other contact related data when getting your contact details.

How to get started

Visit the Dotdigital Developer hub for all information relating to our APIs.

The new Dotdigital is now available to all customers

We’ve spent the last few years re-building Dotdigital from the ground up to be able to offer you the functionality of a powerful data platform, paired with our customer experience and marketing automation tools. In short, Dotdigital is now a CXDP.

What is it?

We’ve kept all the things you already love about Dotdigital, and amplified them. Built on our core values of sustainability, privacy, and security, we are continuing to grow the platform to support your business in even more areas.

Dotdigital’s data platform functionality combines email and SMS data to create a unified, single source of truth for your contacts. Unified contacts allows you to bring your data into one place, enabling you to build a deeper connection with your audience.

Why is it important?

Unified contacts, gives you more insights than ever before – all in one place. You now have more ways to identify customers, so you can match up associated data with identifiers including (email, mobile number, and unique contact ID).

A joined-up customer data platform allows you to create an engaging, cohesive customer journey. In today’s market, going beyond the expected is key for brands who want to stand out, be memorable, and offer an exceptional experience.

• Engage with your customers on their preferred channels for optimal engagement and an improved customer experience.
• Deliver a seamless cross-channel experience with multiple touchpoints across the customer journey.
• Gain a 360° view of your contacts to better understand them enabling you to market directly to their interests.
• Deliver campaigns that engage at scale with hyper-personalization techniques and tools that appeal to your audience.

How to get started

We’ve done all the work, unified contacts is now a part of your Dotdigital account from today.

Other key updates

New look and feel: homepage and better UI

You’ll notice a new, refreshed homepage now featuring key performance metrics and personalized recommendations to help you identify key opportunities and effectively manage your to-do list. We’ve also upgraded our navigation and redesigned the SMS editor, making the platform easier and more intuitive to use.

A Dotdigital PWA

We’ve developed our own progressive web app (PWA) for the Dotdigital platform. This app makes it easier for you to access the Dotdigital platform. Simply pin the new app to your task bar at the bottom of your screen for instant, easy access. Head to the help center to find out more.

Shopware multi-store support

Shopware merchants can now connect multiple storefronts to one Dotdigital account in order to communicate with customers more effectively. Having a multi-store setup connected to one back end store can save time and admin work, this is especially valuable for ecommerce merchants that serve multiple countries.

App blocks for partners

The new partner app blocks enable to partners to build their own blocks for customers to use in the EasyEditor. This gives you more control and flexibility over what layouts you use in your campaigns. Plus, automatically matching campaign style functionality saves you time by removing the need to manually adjust the style via the code.

SMS regulations for Singapore

In order to send SMS in Singapore, marketing providers need to be able to block incorrectly formatted sender IDs, as these are considered a risk for illegitimate messages. Our latest update supports this change – get in touch with your Customer Success representative to enable the change in your account.

At Dotdigital we know it’s hard to keep up with the sending rules and regulations of different countries. We keep on top of it for you so that you can continue to send SMS in 220+ countries across the globe confidently.

Improved login experience

We’re increasing the login inactivity window from 2 hours to 3 days. So you can go away for a long lunch or even a long weekend, without being logged out of the platform.

Join the webinar

Utilizing back in stock notifications

In the fast-paced world of ecommerce, staying ahead of customer needs and expectations can make all the difference in boosting sales and customer satisfaction. Let’s explore some examples of back in stock notifications that demonstrate their value to your ecommerce store:

1. Seasonal products: Seasonal products often face high demand and nothing disappoints a customer more than finding their favorite holiday items out of stock. Back in stock notifications allow a customer to act quickly when the item is available again, making sure it arrives just in time for any special occasion.
2. Limited editions: Offering limited edition products is an excellent way to showcase your brand’s creativity and create a sense of urgency in the market. By having back in stock notifications in place, customers are less likely to miss out and limited runs can maximize their exposure.
3. Pre-orders and product restocks: Anticipation for new launches and restocks can lead to a high volume of inquiries. Back in stock notifications will keep your customers informed about restocks and save time replying to inquiries.
4. Analyzing product demand: Back in stock notifications also provide valuable insights into the demand for specific items, allowing you to optimize your inventory management strategy.
5. Promoting slow fashion and sustainability: By analyzing product demand data from back in stock notifications, you can adopt a more sustainable approach to product development. By understanding which items are most sought after, you can create products that stand the test of time and reduce waste and overproduction. Ultimately this will contribute to your brand’s long-term profitability and positive impact on the environment. 

Why Back in stock notifications are important

Back in stock notifications are not merely a convenience for your customers; they play a crucial role in fostering a positive shopping experience. Here are some reasons why implementing these notifications in your ecommerce store is vital for your business success:

Minimize customer frustration

An out-of-stock item can be frustrating for your customers. By providing a proactive, automated way for them to receive notifications when the product is available, you help manage their expectations and avoid disappointment.

Create excitement with your customers

Studies show the brain releases more dopamine in anticipation of a reward than when receiving a reward. This means that subscribing to a notification and waiting for the product to be restocked is arguably more exciting than going and buying that same product from your competitor.

Retain customer interest

Customers won’t always remember to check your site for the return of an out-of-stock item. Back in stock notifications help you retain customer interest and capitalize on buyer intent. A well-timed alert will create urgency and increase your chances of an immediate purchase.

Decrease churn and increase loyalty

By using back in Stock notifications, you can demonstrate to your customers that you value their satisfaction. With this feature, customers can quickly return to the purchase funnel and avoid missing out on their desired products when they become available again. This fosters customer loyalty and shows them that you are committed to providing exceptional service throughout their entire journey. Ultimately, this can increase their customer lifetime value.

High-quality experiences like these not only keep customers coming back to purchase from your store but also contribute to a higher average spending and long-term engagement, ultimately resulting in a more profitable relationship with your customers.

Get started with Back in stock today

Implementing back in stock notifications in your ecommerce store will have numerous benefits, including minimizing customer churn, improving inventory analysis, and enhancing overall customer experience. 

Dotdigital offers back in stock notifications for BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, and Shopify, with more integrations arriving later soon. Don’t hesitate and start taking advantage of this valuable feature today. Get in touch with our team to kickstart your journey and give your customers a shopping experience they’ll love!

Key takeaways from the Retail Innovation Conference and Expo

Let’s discuss the key takeaways from sessions at #RICE23: 

1. Leverage generative artificial intelligence (AI)

One of the most intriguing and innovative concepts presented at this year’s #RICE23 was the potential and utilization of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the retail industry. As retailers aim to deliver more personalized, efficient, and engaging customer experiences, the introduction of generative AI proves to be a game-changer in meeting these expectations.

A prime example of generative AI in action is WinstonAI. WinstonAI draws on Microsoft Azure’s generative AI technology (GPT-3.5) to offer suggestions and inspiration on how to take your campaign content to the next level. Built directly into the Dotdigital platform, WinstonAI can now easily provide you with hints, tips, and advice on how to improve your email marketing and customer experiences. 

If you want generative AI tools like WinstonAI to meet your expectations, it’s crucial to dedicate time and resources to train them. By refining these AI models with suitable data and feedback, you can unlock your full potential to develop more powerful marketing campaigns.

2. Deliver personalized customer experiences

In the era of fierce competition, driving customer loyalty and retention goes beyond offering high-quality products or services. To create meaningful connections, brands must prioritize personalization and create positive customer experiences tailored to individual preferences. By cultivating a loyal and dedicated customer base, businesses set themselves apart from the competition.

Harnessing the power of customer data is crucial to this strategy. Data guides brands in crafting unforgettable customer experiences tailored to their target audience. By gaining insights into customers’ preferences and needs, businesses can develop innovative products, launch strategies, marketing campaigns (both offline and online), custom packaging, superb in-store experiences, and user-friendly website designs that elevate their brand from the rest.

The solution lies in adopting a human-to-human (H2H) marketing approach. This paradigm shift emphasizes treating customers as humans with emotions and stories rather than mere data points. By humanizing your marketing strategy, your brand will stand out from the competition and foster stronger relationships with your target audience. This deeper connection ultimately influences their decision to choose your brand over others.

3. Embrace creativity

If you want to stand out and attract the attention of the tech-savvy Gen Z audience, creativity is key. This generation appreciates new and unique ideas, and they are more likely to try out brands that break away from the norm. Don’t hesitate to be innovative with your products, marketing strategies, or brand stories to set yourself apart from the competition. Additionally, make sure to communicate with this generation on their preferred channels and engage in meaningful conversations.

Liquid Death is a brand that has effectively used creative marketing to establish its own unique identity. While they sell canned water, their success comes from their entertainment and content-driven approach. Their marketing strategies aim to create an exciting and unconventional image that stands out among competitors and captures the attention of customers.

4. Build a community

Cultivating a sense of community within your brand is pivotal to forging lasting, personal connections with your customers. This intimate relationship fosters a sense of belonging, support, and empowerment, transforming casual customers into passionate, engaged champions who actively use your products and services.

The power of a strong brand community offers: 

• Enhanced virality: When customers feel connected to your brand, they are more inclined to share content and products within their networks. This organic sharing significantly expands your reach and fuels viral growth.
• Natural brand advocates: Members who are deeply engaged with your brand community will readily share their positive experiences, recommendations, and testimonials with their circles, establishing trust and credibility among potential customers.

5. Maintain your digital presence

It’s important to keep your digital presence up-to-date to create a positive perception of your brand. Your ecommerce site and martech stack should evolve with changing consumer expectations, as customers often form their first impression of your products and services through your digital presence.

If your website is outdated, it may harm your brand’s reputation and give potential customers the impression that you are not up-to-date with current trends. This could affect their decision-making process and lead to losing customers. Therefore, it’s important to update your website regularly.

To maintain your digital presence, you can: 

• Update your technology stack: As technology evolves, so do the expectations of tech-savvy consumers. Invest in tools and integrations to deliver a seamless user experience that meets consumer demands.
• Refresh your design: A visually appealing, modern design can significantly influence a brand’s image. Regularly update your website or email design elements, layout, and color scheme to reflect the latest design trends and maintain a fresh, contemporary appearance.
• Monitor your competition: Keep an eye on your competitors’ websites and take note of any updates or changes they make. This can help you stay informed of the latest industry trends and anticipate consumer expectations.

Summary

During #RICE23, experts in ecommerce, social media, and martech discussed valuable insights. In today’s rapidly evolving retail industry, it’s essential for brands to keep up with industry trends and consumer preferences to succeed. Thankfully, we were right there, soaking it all in for you, so you don’t miss a beat in keeping your business on top of its game! 

We entered 2023 still in the shadow of the pandemic; inflation continued to rise, the war in Ukraine continued, and there have been plenty more headlines since then. People everywhere can’t help but ask – is the worst behind us, or is there more bad news to come?

This is the trend that is likely to influence spending for some time. Consumers will have a constant battle on their hands between seeking stability and wanting to move on. 

Right now, consumer spend isn’t slowing down. Most people are spending to make up for lost time due to Coronavirus. This is called revenge spend.

• In 2022, online revenue increased by 23%
• Shopify announced a record-breaking BFCM weekend
• Forrester predicts that spending will increase a further 5%

But when you combine this type of spending with economic concern, the result is a demanding customer base with high expectations. Consumers are looking for quality over quantity and are more selective about which brands they engage with. Consumers may be eager to spend their money, but they’re not looking to throw it at anything and everything – it’s targeted spend. 

This should be a wake up call for marketers everywhere. Due to economic difficulty, marketers are under pressure to improve ROI, take stock of existing set up, and even re-arrange teams, but now is not the time to slow down marketing efforts. Consumers are looking for places to spend their money, and someone needs to tell them where.

Keep reading for practical tips on how to keep up with high consumer expectations and come out on top in 2023.

Effective tactics to overcome purchasing objections

The key to overcoming purchasing objections is to build trust with your customers and leverage it across the whole purchasing journey.

There are many ways to build trust, including press releases, features in industry magazines, utilizing a founder’s or company story, and aligning your company mission with the beliefs of your customers. 

Building trust among consumers is incredibly important, and one of the most effective trust signals is reviews. Customer reviews should be incorporated throughout the buying journey to better overcome objections at the different stages of the purchase. For example, you should feature reviews on your website’s homepage, product pages, and even at the checkout. Also, reviews should be used in wider marketing, such as social media and email campaigns.

Another important trust signal to customers is done through responsible marketing, data processing, privacy, and security. Consumers want to trust that a brand will use their data responsibly and with the right level of security to feel comfortable making a purchase. 

Growth strategies that will work in a difficult economic climate

There is no silver bullet when it comes to growth. The most important thing is to do the basics really well, stay consistent and trust that customers will come. 

One effective growth strategy that is often overlooked is focusing less on acquisition and more on loyal customers. Take the time to find out who your best shoppers are, their behaviors, and what they respond to. Analyze why these customers purchase multiple times and use this research to drive more shoppers to do the same. Your top 20% of customers are responsible for 80% of your total revenue. This is the group that brands need to focus on to grow. 

According to Matt Johnson, the key to winning over customers is by being the closest to them. The way you interact with your customers after they make a purchase is important for building loyalty and growing your business. Treat your repeat customers differently, show them you understand them, and make them feel special. Use data and segmentation to deliver this level of personalization at scale. Collect zero-party and first-party data to understand your customer better and bring that into your marketing tech stack to run more effective marketing campaigns.

Three tips for effective data acquisition and usage in 2023

1. Better personalization and segmentation

The best way to spot shopping behaviors and trends that you want to target is by looking at your customer data from all sources in one single view. Combine this holistic approach to data with a powerful segmentation tool to easily create lookalike segments to send personalized, specific marketing.

2. Customer insights beyond the norm

Use custom data fields to collect customer attributes that you can use to further personalize the entire shopping experience. For example, if a skincare brand knows a customer’s skin type or age, they can tailor everything from the onsite experience to paid social posts so the end user will always see relevant content.

3. Build authenticity

Collect higher quality reviews that include images and videos. You can also showcase user-generated content (UGC) on your website to be more genuine. This will help you to stand out and look more authentic. It will also help deliver the right content back to the customer through the right channels and at the right time.

How can businesses create meaningful hybrid customer experiences?

The first way to bridge any gap between physical and online shopping is effective data collection and utilization. Collect your customers’ data at every point and leverage this during in person as well as online experiences. So when a customer visits your pop-up or brick-and-mortar store, they will be recognized as a previous customer and reap the benefits. 

Another key way to create meaningful offline customer experiences is through the unboxing experience. Leverage your ecommerce data to deliver personalized notes and offers to customers as a part of the delivery experience. 

Events are also a great place to build relationships with customers offline. Businesses should consider how in person experiences like events can be used as part of their strategy to strengthen their connection with customers and also as a way to reward them for their customer loyalty.

Are you up for the challenge?

Consumers everywhere are still spending money on brands they love and that offer engaging and personalized experiences. Are you ready to meet their higher expectations? To satisfy shoppers, use data to build authenticity, trust, and offer personalized shopping experiences that make them feel special.

REVIEWS.io was founded in 2010 to focus on authentic and genuine reviews to help customers make a real difference to their business. The solution has been built to put clients at the heart of everything REVIEWS.io do and support their customers’ businesses to monitor and grow their reputation online through the power of review collection, management, and publication.

REVIEWS.io is a global Dotdigital partner. Dotdigital and REVIEWS.io together help you seamlessly target your audiences and send personalized campaigns based on their review history. Strengthen your email campaigns, click-through rates, and increase your revenue using our joint technologies. Or why not learn more about our partnership with REVIEWS.io.

What is customer intent?

Customer intent is often confused with buyer’s intent – i.e. the thoughts or actions directing customers to make a purchase. In basic terms, that would be the moment a shopper enters a brick-and-mortar store and heads to the jeans aisle. Their intent to buy is clear.

However, in the wide world of marketing, buyer intent doesn’t take into account the wide range of online actions customers can take before converting.

Some actions can be simple, such as an immediate click-through from your homepage to a product page. But with the extensive range of channels customers can interact with you on, there are many actions that, when added together, can express their intent.

Why is customer intent important?

Today’s customers demand fast, friction-free experiences. They want brands to understand what they’re after and help them achieve their goals in real-time.

At the same time, marketers are asked to do more with less; to make marketing budgets go further.

Identifying moments of customer intent is essential to meeting both goals. For marketers, data insights that highlight micro-moments of customer intent provide you with more opportunities to convert customers and drive revenue.

For customers, brands that use customer intent can deliver personalized messages at the right time, making them feel valued and driving them into action.

Why is customer intent more powerful than demographics?

Marketers who exclusively rely on demographic information to target customers risk missing more than 70% of potential mobile shoppers.

Demographic information and marketing preferences are great tools to help marketers build a customer profile and understand what they want from you. Unfortunately, they offer little insight into what they’re looking for in the moment.

When customers are looking for something; a product, a solution, or a service, they go to the web. More often than not, they turn to their smartphones. These intent-filled micro-moments are what brands need to target to connect with people.

How do you identify customer intent?

Marketing is no longer as simple as ushering customers down the funnel. The customer journey isn’t linear but cyclical and chaotic. We expect shoppers to visit our sites repeatedly and communicate with us on multiple channels before they’re ready to make a decision.

So now we know that we’re looking for intent-filled interactions to signify customer intent, how do we determine what these moments are?

Collect actionable data

Demographic and preference data is essential for creating personalized and engaging marketing messages. However, you need to collect more than just customer data. Actions such as category page views, product page views, registrations, on-site searches, and landing page clicks should all be measured.

These can help you identify patterns in customer behavior before they convert, such as how many times they visit a page before the point of conversion. You will then be able to target specific high-intent actions to drive customers towards completing your goal.

Spot the key customer starting points

Your homepage might be the page most frequently landed on, but it doesn’t reveal real customer intent. Instead, you need to decide where the customer journey begins. Site searches are always good indicators of customer intent. Shoppers are looking for something specific so you should act on this and make the journey to conversion as simple as possible.

Similarly, specific category pages or feature pages can clearly indicate what customers are looking for. If a customer knows what they’re after, then this is a vital place for you to track and target.

Create pre-intent content

Understanding customer intent goes hand-in-hand with understanding the pain points that have driven them to your website in the first place. By strategizing your content marketing to focus on these specific pain points, utilizing blogs and learning resource pages, you can capture customer intent before they realize yours is the solution they need.

For example, if your brand offers a kitchen fitting service you can create content targeting first-time homeowners with a checklist of things they need to consider when renovating a kitchen. This will help you pre-emptively capture customers interested in finding out more about your service. You can then guide them through your customer journey and lead them to the point of conversion.

How to use customer intent in your marketing automation?

Targeting intent-filled micro-moments increases revenue. There are several scenarios where customer intent can trigger timely, relevant, and personalized marketing messages.

Abandoned browse and cart abandonment emails

Active carts or high-intent page visits demonstrate clear intent. To turn this intent into conversions you need to build abandoned cart or abandoned browse programs. Our Global benchmark report shows that acting quickly can make a big difference – 45% of abandoned carts are recovered within 2 hours. So, it’s important to re-engage your customers quickly and guide them back to your site to boost the likelihood of securing a sale.

Repeat page hits

As part of your work identifying customer intent, you should have a clear idea about which pages on your website are essential to your customers’ journey. Using this intelligence, you can create automation programs that are triggered when a browser views the same page three times.

For example, if you’re a furniture company and have noticed customers frequently visiting your payment plans page, you can use this insight to trigger a campaign. When a shopper views the page numerous times, a friendly ‘ask us anything’ email might be just the push they need to convert.

Customer engagement

Customer modeling tools such as eRFM and lead scoring help you measure subscriber engagement. You can identify which customers are actively interacting with your brand and which have lapsed.

Customer modeling triggers campaigns when customers move between audience groups. So, when a customer stops engaging with your marketing and falls into a needs-nurturing or lapsed group, you can automatically enroll them into a win-back automation campaign.

Similarly, when an unengaged subscriber starts re-engaging, you can leverage the data you already have on them to deliver a personalized campaign that enhances their customer experience. Product recommendation blocks and dynamic content are just a couple of ways to drive newly engaged customers to convert.

Summary

Customer intent is the secret weapon for creating effective, relevant, and persuasive marketing campaigns. By examining your audience’s behavior, segmenting them based on their intent, and delivering tailored content that speaks to their individual needs, you’ll unlock unprecedented levels of customer engagement, conversion, and growth. So, tap into customer intent today, and take your marketing strategy to the next level.