To figure out where we go from here, we asked Dotdigital partners to look ahead to 2026. The general consensus is that it’s time to move away from creating noise to keep up and focus on creating value to stand out. The trends for the coming year are about securing the foundations you’ve fought to build.

We’re seeing four clear trends emerge: 

1. The return to owned channels: Marketers are tired of sinking budgets into renting attention and are building on channels they can control
2. The resurgence of empathetic marketing: As AI becomes an even deeper part of our workflows, the focus is shifting from producing content quickly to creating intelligent, empathetic, and engaging experiences tailored to each brand and its unique audience
3. The rise of the AI agent: AI isn’t just researching anymore; it’s shopping, and marketers need to keep up
4. The search for truth in data: In 2026, growth depends on strengthening your data foundation so AI can deliver meaningful, measurable impact

1. The return to owned channels

One of the biggest shifts on the horizon for 2026 is a return to channels marketers can actively shape, like email, SMS, and owned web experiences. With ad platforms becoming increasingly unpredictable and Google CPCs up nearly 40% over three years, brands are looking for steadier ground. Paid channels aren’t disappearing, but complementing them with stronger owned channels gives marketers far more control over the journey from first touch to onboarding and nurture.

Protect against rising ad costs by growing email lists

Relying solely on paid channels to grow is a risk marketers can no longer afford in 2026. With ads being more expensive and competitive than ever, the smartest move marketers can make in the year ahead is to focus on the channel you truly own: email. As an owned asset, email isn’t vulnerable to rising CPMs (cost-per-thousand impressions), pay-to-play algorithms, or external audience restrictions. While inbox providers occasionally update how email is displayed and customer consent remains essential, the channel still offers far more stability and control than paid media.

Naturally, AI is fueling the change. Now integrated into platforms like Shopify and Dotdigital, AI  can analyze subscriber data to predict intent, personalize content, and automate perfectly timed offers, turning each email address into a powerful, revenue-generating tool. This allows brands to move from broad, costly ad targeting to precision marketing that delivers measurable return on investment (ROI).

What’s even better is that an engaged email database can be used for smarter ad targeting. You can build better lookalike audiences and deliver more efficient remarketing across Meta and other channels by focusing your budget on converting engaged subscribers.

So, growing your email list is no longer just about owning your audience; it’s about future-proofing your marketing. In an AI-driven world and a competitive ad market, every new email subscriber is a compounding asset that drives sustainable, long-term growth.

Learn more about Lead Online.

Owned channels will become referral engines 

In 2025, ad costs spiked, AI cluttered feeds, economic anxiety peaked, and trust became a rare commodity. While social algorithms swung wildly, owned channels like email and SMS remained the only steady ground.

In 2026, brands that thrive will stop treating their owned channels like simple broadcast tools and start using them as activation engines. Email and SMS, especially, allow you to talk to and through your customers to reach a larger audience.

To do this, focus on building alliances within your ecosystem. Instead of fighting for attention on busy social media or ad platforms, partner with complementary brands, like a fitness brand partnering with a nutrition company to activate both audiences. At the same time, you can turn every email or SMS into a potential referral moment with a natural program that encourages sharing, e.g., “Pass it on: 20% off for them, 20% off for you.” This will help multiply your reach exponentially. Instead of paying rising CPMs to reach cold audiences, you’re activating warm networks through owned channels.

So for 2026, remember: your email list is no longer just an audience; it’s also your distribution infrastructure. 

Learn more about Talkable.

The year of the owned ecosystem

2025 felt like a shouting match where no one won. Brands everywhere were shouting louder and louder, only to realize their audience’s attention had drifted elsewhere. Marketers came to a scary realization: they don’t actually own the ground they’re standing on, and building on rented land is risky. 

That’s why 2026 is the year of the owned ecosystem, where you control the experience, not an algorithm. As the digital landscape fragments, control becomes the new currency. The brands that thrive will be the ones that create meaningful interactions, whether through shoppable video, owned communities, or branded live experiences. 

Owning the space and your channels lets you listen better, learn faster, and build trust that doesn’t vanish with the next algorithm update.

Learn more about BeLive Technology.

Affiliate marketing becomes creator-led commerce

In 2025, brands stopped treating influencer marketing as an awareness channel and started using it for acquisition. They invested in smarter systems where creators, customers, and affiliates all drive measurable results. We’re carrying that discipline forward: measuring what matters, automating repetitive tasks, and leaving behind manual workflows and disconnected tools that slow everything down.

This focus on measured, automated value is what will fundamentally change who gets a share of the pie. In 2026, the lines between influencer, affiliate, and customer will disappear. Every creator, from a customer posting an unboxing to a TikTok Shop partner, will expect both creative freedom and direct revenue share.

Affiliate programs will become community commerce: automated, trackable, and creator-first. The brands that succeed won’t just recruit affiliates; they’ll build loyalty networks where anyone who drives value earns a stake in the outcome.

The next phase of growth won’t come from new ad channels, but from turning your audience into your salesforce.

Learn more about Social Snowball.

Loyalty shifts from points to priced value

By 2026, loyalty, especially in Southeast Asia, will become a real product for brands, complete with pricing, benefits, and measurable ROI, rather than just a promotional add-on. Paid memberships, smarter benefit design, and transparent value exchange will help brands monetize loyalty while revealing what customers genuinely care about.

Loyalty data will also start to play a bigger role in marketing by becoming a decision-making tool. 

With richer behavioural insight, brands will shape campaigns based on what customers actually do, not what they might do. The most successful ones will turn those insights into meaningful experiences like VIP or corporate tiers, community perks, lifestyle partnerships, and benefits that feel tangible to the customer.

This doesn’t mean the gamification of loyalty will disappear, but it will slim down as experiences become more linked to business outcomes. At the same time, omnichannel “earn-everywhere” systems will unite in-store, online, and delivery experiences, making value feel seamless across every touchpoint. 

All-in-all, the next chapter of loyalty is operational, not flashy. In 2026, growth will come from treating loyalty like a product that is priced thoughtfully, informed by real customer feedback, and built for cultural relevance. This will create an experience people choose to belong to, not just buy from. 

Learn more about Eber.

RCS mobile messaging grows up

2026 will be the year mobile messaging grows up, and Rich Communication Services (RCS) will lead the charge. RCS combines the reach of SMS with the interactivity of apps, turning standard text messages into rich, branded experiences. It allows marketers to deliver secure, engaging, app-like moments directly inside a user’s native messaging app.

Think of it as SMS supercharged! Buttons, carousels, images, and even payments will all be available within one simple, seamless space. We’re already seeing brands experiment with RCS for everything from secure logins to two-way conversations and dynamic offers. It’s bridging the gap between convenience and creativity, making mobile marketing more responsive, more trusted, and more human. As more tools and platforms support RCS, the opportunity to build richer customer journeys is huge.

Learn more about ActionRocket.

2. The resurgence of empathetic marketing

As AI becomes more deeply embedded in our workflows, genuine human connection will set the best marketing apart. Rather than relying solely on AI to generate empathetic content, these predictions highlight how marketers can use technology to amplify the reach and impact of human-to-human marketing.

The rise of systemic empathy

After the first wave of AI excitement, marketers have realized something important: AI alone can’t make a message land. The most successful campaigns of 2025 weren’t the ones that shouted the loudest or published most often; they were the ones that made people feel something. In fact, a 2025 Ipsos study found that campaigns aligned with people’s identities and values are 69% more likely to influence purchase decisions. That’s why our prediction for 2026 is the rise of systemic empathy and building emotional intelligence into the AI systems we already use. 

AI now touches everything from targeting to content creation, but automation without empathy can make brands feel a bit robotic. The new competitive advantage comes from designing workflows where AI handles the data and humans shape the meaning.

The good news is that AI can actually help brands feel more human. It can read emotional cues, spot patterns in sentiment, and highlight messages that resonate. But it only works when paired with human creativity and the shared knowledge inside an organization. We see this as the evolution of corporate AI — systems shaped by the logic, knowledge, and data unique to each organization. This helps brands tell stories people genuinely care about.

Learn more about Youwe.

Brand experiences build brand love

The best performing companies in 2026 will be those that invest in their brand experience rather than simply doubling down on AI.

2025 was the “Year of AI” for both business and marketers, and it would be all too easy to predict that to continue in 2026. While we agree, my prediction is that to do well in an increasingly AI-led world, marketers who focus on brand and digital experience will outperform those who focus narrowly on squeezing as much AI into their work as possible.

Ultimately, pleasing humans is the goal of marketing, and while new tech helps, the old basics still apply. To win new customers, you must offer both a brand and an experience that is compelling and authentic.

Focusing on the human aspect of customer experience, delivered through beautifully branded, digital experiences designed by creative talent and supported by the right amount of AI, is the recipe for success in 2026.

Learn more about Fanatic.

Marketers stop reacting and start predicting

2026 is the year marketers stop reacting and start predicting. AI is moving us from static journeys to living experiences that evolve with every click, scroll, and signal.

Instead of asking, “What should we send next?”, we’ll start asking, “What does the customer need next, and how do we deliver it before they ask?” Predictive intelligence will make personalization feel intuitive, powered by behavior, sentiment, and purchase patterns in real time.

This shift matters because competition for attention has never been higher. The brands that win won’t just personalize, they’ll anticipate. The future of lifecycle marketing isn’t automation for efficiency; it’s using AI for empathy. Because the best marketing won’t feel like marketing at all; it will feel like the brand just gets their audience.

Learn more about Shero Commerce.

The brands that stay close to their customers will pull ahead

In 2026, the most effective marketing teams won’t be the loudest or the fastest; they’ll be the ones listening hardest.

Marketers who spend more time with their customers, partners, and suppliers – not just talking about them – will uncover the insights that no dashboard can show.

The next wave of marketing maturity will come from joined-up listening. Teams that connect insight from customer conversations, support tickets, and supply partners will design experiences that feel distinctive because they’re grounded in truth.

The future belongs to marketers who replace assumptions with understanding, and use that closeness to shape strategies their competitors can’t copy.

Learn more about JH.

The balancing act between AI & authenticity

Generative AI is boosting most areas of digital marketing, letting marketers deliver huge amounts of personalization and driving efficiency at scale.  But with AI now a big part of how businesses talk to customers, we need to focus on brand authenticity.

In 2026, I predict we’ll see more customers asking: “Is this real, or just AI-generated?”

We’re at a stage where customers don’t just expect personalized experiences; they also want a genuine connection with the brand they’re engaging with. If we don’t get this balance right, we risk AI fatigue and losing hard-won customer trust.

The competitive advantage will shift from who is using the best AI tools to who best balances them with humanity. If that’s the case, genuine storytelling, transparency, and human-driven interaction will be essential for creating trust in 2026. Ultimately, AI has to improve the customer experience, not replace the brand’s soul.

Learn more about In Digital.

3. The rise of the AI agent

In 2026, your customers won’t just be people anymore; they’ll be algorithms, agents, and chatbots. This shift marks the rise of B2R (business-to-robot) marketing, where success depends on understanding how AI systems read, rank, and respond to your content just as much as human audiences do.

Optimizing for the machine customer

In 2026, agentic AI will evolve from a passive researcher into an active shopper. Imagine telling a digital assistant, “I need a birthday gift for a 10-year-old who loves space,” and having it research, compare, and complete the purchase without you having to lift a finger.

This shift is going to be huge because AI agents deal in pure logic. They aren’t swayed by brand loyalty or clever marketing; they prioritize hard metrics like price, delivery speed, and the accuracy of the product description. They buy based on data parameters, not emotion, fundamentally changing the nature of brand loyalty.

Ultimately, your product data must become your primary sales pitch. If your data isn’t clean, structured, and instantly accessible, these agents simply won’t be able to find you. Success in an automated world means optimizing your systems now to ensure clear visibility, because in 2026, AI agents will be evaluating your brand first.

Learn more about GBG Loqate.

AI agents become the default in workflows

The shift toward agentic workflows (where AI doesn’t just assist but actively executes tasks) is moving faster than anticipated. It’s not hype; this is a fundamental shift for marketers. 

In 2026, AI agents will stop being a nice-to-have and become the default standard on websites. Your customers and stakeholders are already using tools like ChatGPT, Grok, and Gemini in their daily lives. They’re used to getting what they need, when they need it. So, they’ll have zero tolerance for experiences that feel stuck in the past. Clunky navigation or switching between tabs will drive customers away as their expectations continue to evolve. 

If your customer experience creates friction compared to the fluid AI tools people use every day, you will lose them. Speed is the new currency; you must integrate these agents now to ensure your experiences match the pace of the AI world we’re living in.

Learn more about OneCart.

AI-driven search reshapes discovery

In 2026, AI-driven search will reshape how people discover and buy products and services. Traditional search engines will give way to conversational AI tools that act as intelligent assistants, offering direct, curated answers instead of long lists of links. This shift will reduce user choice at the results stage and concentrate visibility on a smaller number of recommended brands.

Ecommerce transactions will increasingly happen directly within the AI interface or browser, transforming the AI provider into a direct sales channel, not just a referrer. AI providers will introduce new revenue models, effectively taking a cut of sales (an ‘AI Tax on Transaction’) and introducing paid placement or commission-based models directly within results. This creates new advertising opportunities but also intensifies competition for visibility as brands must now bid for these privileged recommendation slots.

This trend will redefine how customers find and shop with brands. Marketers will need to optimize for AI visibility and invest in authentic content partnerships to remain discoverable in a world where AI decides what people see and charges a premium to be seen.

Learn more about Rusty Monkey.

4. The search for truth in data

The experiences you create are only as strong as the data behind them. In 2026, success depends on clean, reliable insights and the ability to let AI enhance efficiency in the background.

The need for data transparency

For 2026, I predict marketers will start to feel the pinch of AI’s biggest blind spot: data transparency. 2025 will be remembered as the year people wrongly predicted Google’s demise at the hands of AI. Whilst Google, and marketing as a whole, has been undoubtedly changed by AI, it has merely caused an evolution of the search giant, rather than its demise.

AI chatbots and assistants are quickly revealing themselves as information hogs: they absorb vast amounts of data but provide little helpful insight that marketers can actually use to improve their work. Whether it’s the lack of search data from Google’s AI Overview and ChatGPT or how unclear AI-managed ad campaigns (like TikTok’s GMV Max and Google’s Performance Max) are, data accessibility is shrinking fast. While marketers were quick to promote these tools, they’ll soon have to answer tougher questions about where the budget goes, which is hard to track on AI platforms.

After the honeymoon period, marketers will realize they’re losing access to the very insights that once powered their strategies: search data, user intent, and content performance. The tools that promised limitless intelligence may instead leave us working in the dark. Those marketers who can find the light by basing their work on measurable, data-focused decisions will be the ones who truly thrive in this new era.

Learn more about PushON.

Marketing success is measured by connection, not capture

By 2026, marketing success won’t be measured by the data you capture, but by how well you connect it. As third-party cookies fade and privacy expectations rise, the smartest marketers will create consented, accurate, and genuinely controllable first-party data ecosystems. 

Volume will no longer rule; value will be converting clean, orderly data into something that makes sense. AI’s role will change from being an automation tool to a means for contextual interpretation, letting marketers see intent, surface insight, and respond accurately. 

Approximately 40% of analytics queries will be generated in natural language by 2026, resulting in data intelligence that is more human, more accessible, and more immediate than ever before. 

The next frontier isn’t more tools, it’s better alignment for data, ethics, and experience. Marketers who add transparency and intelligent automation to their marketing stack will turn insight into trust and trust into clear growth. 

So, in 2026, the distinction between noise and connection will boil down to one thing: your ability to use data responsibly.

Learn more about Cantarus.

AI works quietly in the background

2026 will be the year AI finally fades into the background and starts doing its best work quietly. The focus will shift from flashy automation to genuine augmentation. AI will become the engine that helps marketers think faster, act smarter, and create experiences that feel effortless.

Across the APAC region, we’re already seeing AI move from isolated tools to deeply integrated systems that support every part of the marketing journey. It’s interpreting signals, predicting intent, and refining content in real time. The technology is becoming so seamless that customers won’t notice it’s there. What they will notice is that their interactions feel smoother, more personal, and more relevant.

But AI alone isn’t the answer. The most successful marketers will use it to enhance human creativity, not replace it. Machines can analyze patterns, but we bring empathy, emotion, and brand identity to the table.

The future is a partnership between intelligence and instinct. AI will handle the heavy lifting, freeing up marketers to focus on ideas, storytelling, and connection. When that balance is right, AI becomes truly indispensable.

Learn more about Athos Commerce.

Data maturity gives brands the competitive edge

AI is making websites, tools, and platforms smarter, but it’s also making implementation more complex. And in 2026, you won’t win without a deep understanding of your data and technical setup. 

This technical closeness is known as Authentic Automation. This isn’t just about saving cost or maximizing your customer lifetime value (CLV); it’s about using technology to improve and humanize every interaction customers have with your brand. But to do it right, you need to know what’s happening behind the scenes. 

We’ve all had the help of unhelpful chatbots and seen automation deployed based on surface-level data, leading to irrelevant emails, awkward timing, and wasted spend, not to mention the inevitable surge of unsubscribes. 

That’s why, in 2026, data maturity will be the competitive edge.

The brands that succeed will blend real-world, human empathy with technical know-how. They’ll validate their AI models with unfiltered feedback from forums and use SEO insights as a goldmine for understanding customer intent. This blend ensures automation is precise, personal, and consistent. 

Do this, and automation will become what it was always meant to be: a powerful engine that carries out the empathetic and strategic decisions that drive product discovery and conversion.

Learn more about Blackpepper.

The rise of the AI generalist

For years, ecommerce success was built on specialization – data analysts, UX experts,
content strategists, and developers each managing their piece of the puzzle. But today’s
fast-moving digital economy demands something different: versatility, adaptability, and
synthesis.

Al has become the great equalizer. It’s closing the gap between functions and enabling
professionals to operate across disciplines with unprecedented speed and confidence.
We’re seeing the resurgence of the generalist, not as a “jack of all trades,” but as a master
of connection.

Generative AI and automation tools are transforming how people learn, create, and solve
problems. What once required deep technical expertise can now be accomplished with the
right prompt and a strategic mindset. The real skill now lies not in doing the thing, but in
understanding how it all fits together.

Al-fluent generalists who understand how to weave technology into every aspect of brand
experience. Ecommerce success is no longer about one system or department working in
isolation. It’s about agility—the ability to pivot, personalize, and predict what customers need
next. Generalists, equipped with AI, bring that agility to life. They see the brand as a living
system, not a set of disconnected channels.

Learn more about Shopware.

AI will assist in the rollout of adaptive campaigns

In 2026, AI will evolve from just creating content to truly grasping context. This will help marketers roll out adaptive campaigns that change in real time. We can expect predictive analytics to steer creative choices, generative tools to create multi-format assets in a flash, and conversational interfaces (like AI agents) to reshape how customers connect with brands.

To marketers, it means that campaign strategies won’t revolve around traditional journeys, but around intelligent, learning systems. Every interaction will pave the way for the next one.

AI is enhancing the ecommerce experience and revolutionizing marketing by optimizing content flow and providing insights that lead to smarter decision-making. The future of marketing belongs to those who can blend data, design, and AI to create a unified yet unique storytelling journey. 

Learn more about BSS Commerce.

AI becomes the connection across creativity, data, and customer experience

2026 will be the year when AI stops being a tool and becomes the connection across creativity, data, and customer experience. Instead of fragmented stacks, we’ll see unified intelligence: AI systems that analyze intent, generate content, test variations, and measure outcomes in real-time.

But the real shift won’t be technological; it will be organizational. The brands that win will be the ones that integrate AI not only into campaigns, but into their thinking. They’ll build cross-functional teams fluent in both brand strategy and AI reasoning, ensuring every touchpoint feels human, contextual, and ethically guided. By 2026, we’ll see hyper-personalization at enterprise scale, where automation and predictive analytics become standard, not optional. 

In this next phase, personalization will move from “who you are” to “what you need now.” It will let brands predict moments, not just react to actions. Yet the differentiator is still empathy — how we use intelligence to understand our audiences, not manipulate them.

The marketers who thrive in 2026 will treat AI as a creative partner, not a replacement, balancing automation with authenticity, and speed with substance.

Learn more about Tavano Team.

Practicality will redefine how we use AI

In 2026, the drive for practicality will redefine how we use AI. It won’t just sit in the workflow; it will work with human judgment to answer real customer questions, not just generate content. This will affect how marketers personalize campaigns, moving from broad personas to real behaviors, shaping content based on what people do, not just what we assume they want. 

Because acquisition costs will remain high, this practical approach will drive brands to pivot and focus on retention. They will focus on the customers they already have, using AI to solve problems early and build steady loyalty through personalized experiences rather than chasing quick acquisition spikes. 

Ultimately, the brands that stand out in 2026 will be the ones solving real-life problems. The goal remains simple: for brands to provide value quickly and consistently, and earn trust through results.

Learn more about Magnolia CMS.

What will 2026 look like for you?

2026 is shaping up to be the year marketers stop building on borrowed ground and start creating the kind of experiences customers actually want to come back to. The question now is, what will 2026 look like for you?

If you’re ready to grow what you own, get closer to your customers, and use AI in a way that feels genuinely human, Dotdigital is here to help you get ahead.

Let’s dive into the awesome new updates in our latest release.

AI updates for greater impact

AI is now the backbone of modern marketing operations, and at Dotdigital, we’re committed to making every marketer’s day easier, faster, and more impactful. WinstonAI, our marketing intelligence engine, is infused into every part of your workflow, streamlining everything from campaign creation to analytics and segmentation.

What’s new with WinstonAI

Intelligent segment templates

Quickly create powerful segments using AI-driven insights like eRFM (engagement, recency, frequency, and monetary value) and predictive analytics such as the next likely order date. Say goodbye to the days of building complicated segments and create highly targeted, relevant campaigns in minutes.

AI-powered image search

Finding the perfect image for your campaign is now effortless. Our AI-powered search lets you surface images from your library by simply typing keywords like “Christmas” or “summer sale.” Save time, avoid duplication, and keep your campaigns visually on point, all without leaving your campaign builder.

Instant campaign translation

Expand your reach with WinstonAI’s new translation agent. Instantly translate campaigns into multiple languages, so your regional teams can focus on fine-tuning messaging, not manual translation.

Survey & forms AI summary

Get instant, actionable insights from open-text survey and form responses. WinstonAI summarizes answers into clear topics and subtopics, so you can identify trends and take action faster, without wading through hundreds of responses.

AI-generated email templates

And we’re not stopping there. Register your interest in testing our upcoming AI-generated email template builder, so you can get campaigns up and running faster and ensure every message is on-brand.

Enhanced mobile marketing experiences

We believe mobile marketing should be just as simple and just as powerful as email. That’s why we continually raise the bar in mobile marketing. After our successful WhatsApp launch in April, more brands are looking beyond the inbox to connect with customers where they spend their time. If you’re looking to boost engagement, now’s the perfect moment to get started.

What’s new for mobile marketers

WhatsApp, upgraded

We’ve made it even easier to create impact with WhatsApp. Enjoy smoother testing, smarter segmentation, and clearer reporting. See your subscribers, sync contacts, test visuals and messages before sending, and segment audiences based on WhatsApp engagement.

New reporting features help you track clicks and spot failed sends so you can optimize and improve deliverability. Automated alerts, reminders, and notifications help you deliver useful information, exactly when customers need it. It really is the perfect marketing channel.

Native contact cards in MMS

Marketers in North America can now add easy-to-manage contact cards to MMS campaigns. Especially impactful when used in welcome and re-engagement flows, it’s a simple way to boost brand recognition and stand out from the crowd.

SMS data syncing

SMS consent in NetSuite is now a two-way sync, so you can send mobile messages with confidence. Plus, Microsoft Dynamics users can also sync and validate mobile numbers, making mobile marketing more reliable than ever.

Enterprise data syncs made seamless

We’re committed to making data-driven marketing easy by connecting Dotdigital with the tools you already use. This means you can build richer customer profiles and take action faster. Our customers love our approach to making data insights accessible, as evidenced by our spot in the top 5 global customer data platforms on G2, as voted by marketers. So, to give you more of what you want, here are our latest data integration updates.

What’s new for data-driven teams

Firehose data into your warehouse

Exporting your marketing engagement data just got a whole lot easier. Firehose is now available to all customers on our CXDP plan, enabling seamless, automated syncing of key metrics like email sends, opens, and clicks, directly into your data warehouse. With a few simple steps, you can set up continuous data syncs that help your business analyse data, spot trends, and make decisions faster.

Twilio Segment data syncing

If you use Twilio Segment, you can now add or remove contacts from marketing lists and enroll them in automation flows directly from the platform. This opens up new ways to trigger campaigns based on live customer behavior, with two-way syncing on the horizon.

Snowflake data integration

Our new Snowflake integration lets you sync contact data, including subscription status, straight into Dotdigital. For two-way syncing, you can use our Firehose alongside the Snowflake integration, so your data can flow both in and out of Dotdigital.

Custom IDs

You can now add your own unique identifiers, like CRM IDs or sales numbers, to any contact. This means you can update or delete records confidently, even if an email address changes, and avoid duplicate contacts and messy customer experiences.

Integrations that keep marketers moving

Helping you unify your tech stack and simplify your workflow is another one of our core goals. Put simply, we want to make your lives easier, so you can focus on what matters: delivering standout campaigns.

What’s new in integrations

Bynder

Seamlessly connect with Bynder to share and reuse digital assets across every channel. No more manual downloading or uploading, just quick access to all your marketing assets. This new integration will help keep your brand consistent, campaigns compliant, and creative teams happy.

Google Ad lead forms

Our new Google integration lets you instantly sync leads from Google Ad lead forms into your marketing lists and nurture flows. You can now capture and convert new leads without missing a beat. Plus, with the option to sync additional data beyond email address, you can segment and personalize your messaging so every follow-up is more relevant.

Vtex

Vtex merchants can now sync contacts, opt-in status, product catalogs, and orders with Dotdigital. Plus, additional support for web tracking and abandoned cart journeys helps you reach shoppers at just the right moment.

Adobe product catalog

You can now sync category price rules (e.g., all Extra Long Bootcut Jeans have 10% off) and tier pricing (e.g., buy 3 for $40) straight from Adobe Commerce, so your offers and pricing are always accurate and dynamic. This allows you to use Liquid Script in your campaigns to ensure all pricing and promos are up-to-date.

Adobe Commerce as a Cloud (ACCS)

Also known as App Builder, Dotdigital’s new integration with Adobe’s latest offering lets you sync new contacts, products, and orders. As Adobe expands this platform, your integration options will only get better.

Smarter ways to collect insights from customers

Whether you’re collecting marketing consent, shaping products, improving service, or just getting closer to your customers, the quality of your data matters. Our latest updates make it easier and safer to collect the insights you need.

What’s new for pages and forms

Age gating with action button logic

For brands in regulated industries, compliance just got simpler. You can now automatically hide action buttons in forms and surveys based on answers like date of birth, so if someone doesn’t meet your set age criteria, they can’t submit the form. This logic isn’t just for age; you can use it for eligibility, location, or any custom criteria.

File uploads

You can now collect file uploads directly through your surveys and forms, making it easier to gather richer, more meaningful submissions. Supported file types include:

• DOC/DOCX
• HEIC
• JPG/JPEG
• PDF
• PNG

With drag-and-drop upload, simple file deletion, and GDPR-compliant handling, it’s ideal for ID checks or running competitions that require content uploads. For example, a sports brand might give fans the chance to submit their kit designs or submit content for community spotlights.

More opportunities for hyper-personalization

Personalization doesn’t need to be complicated. We’re focused on making it easier for every marketer to create relevant, one-to-one experiences.

What’s new in hyper-personalization

Smarter, simpler, and seamless connections

We have a new, unified Dotdigital tag, which will help streamline setup between Dotdigital and Fresh Relevance by removing duplicate tasks. With a single installation, you can track multiple events from the first page visit to purchase completion and access insights in Dotdigital and Fresh Relevance. Signals feed directly into the Dotdigital activity timeline, making it easier than ever to build timely, relevant journeys.

Custom SmartBlocks

Build dynamic content in real time, tailored to each customer. Whether you’re personalizing with dynamic pricing or pulling in loyalty offers by point status, custom SmartBlocks give you the flexibility to deliver what matters, when it matters.

Hi-res product images

You know better than anyone that first impressions count. That’s why you can now select high-resolution images for your product recommendation blocks. Whether it’s viewed on desktop, tablet, or mobile, your products will always appear crisp, polished, and ready to convert.

To delve deeper into this topic, I spoke with Kate Barrett, the founder of eFocus Marketing. We discussed how AI and human creativity can collaborate to achieve excellent results. Kate shared her insights on the practical applications of AI in marketing and our essential role as marketers in humanly connecting with our customers. 

AI’s strengths in marketing

AI has revolutionized the marketing landscape, offering so many tools and techniques to enhance your efficiency, creativity, and overall campaign performance. Here’s what you can do with AI:

Create data-driven insights

AI allows even small teams to access new data insights that weren’t possible previously. You can use AI tools to help you:

• Gather and analyze data: AI can efficiently collect and analyze your data from various sources, providing valuable insights into market trends, customer behavior, and competitor activities.
• Generate personalized reports: Create customized reports that highlight key metrics and identify areas for improvement, saving you time and effort.
• Predictive analytics: AI can analyze historical data to predict future trends and customer behavior, allowing you to adjust your marketing strategies proactively and create highly personalized content to engage and move your audience to the next stage in their journey with you proactively.
• Enhance your campaign optimization: AI takes A/B testing to the next level by continuously monitoring performance metrics, learning from the results, and automatically creating new variations for future tests. This iterative process helps maximize open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

Creative inspiration and variation

As a marketer, you’re constantly challenged to innovate and create fresh ideas to captivate your audience. AI can be your creative partner, helping you:

• Generate new content ideas: Training your AI with specific prompts can generate creative content ideas that align with your brand’s voice, target audience, and current trends.
• Create multiple variations: AI tools like WinstonAI create personalized marketing messages for various channels. This includes suggesting subject lines to enhance open rates and a seamless one-click transition from email to SMS, customizing your message specifically for text messaging.
• Deliver hyper-personalized recommendations: By analyzing vast amounts of customer data, AI can segment your audience and create highly personalized email content based on individual subscriber behavior and preferences, as well as broader audience trends.

Streamline your workflow

AI isn’t just about insights and creativity; it’s also a powerful tool for enhancing your productivity:

• Automate routine tasks: Let AI automate time-consuming activities like email scheduling, social media posting, and basic content creation, freeing you to focus on strategic planning and creative ideation.
• Optimize send times: AI can analyze engagement patterns to determine the best times to send emails to individual subscribers, maximizing the chances of your messages being read and acted upon.
• Real-time campaign adjustments: With AI monitoring your campaign performance in real-time, you can make data-driven decisions on the fly, ensuring your marketing efforts are always optimized for success.

The irreplaceable role of human creativity and emotion

While AI has impressive capabilities, it can’t replicate the human touch in marketing. We must prioritize marketing that centers around human needs and desires. To bring human creativity and innovation into your marketing strategy:

Storytelling with empathy

Your creativity allows you to weave narratives that captivate and inspire. Use this skill to:

• Craft emotionally resonant stories that speak directly to your audience’s experiences.
• Humanize your brand by addressing customer pain points, aspirations, and values in relatable ways.
• Incorporate real-world examples and case studies that demonstrate a genuine understanding of your customers’ journeys.

Remember, it’s not just about telling a story, but about telling the right story that connects with your audience on an emotional level.

Personalization with a human touch

Be sure to personalize: 

• Infuse your communications with a conversational tone, appropriate humor, and genuine empathy.
• Treat your audience as individuals, not just data points.
• Use your understanding of human psychology to create messages that feel tailored and authentic.

Interactive and immersive experiences

Leverage your creativity to develop engaging, interactive content that goes beyond traditional marketing:

• Design quizzes, polls, and gamified experiences that offer a personalized journey.
• Encourage user-generated content (UGC) to foster a sense of community and co-creation with your audience.

By focusing on these human-centric tactics, you can create marketing campaigns that are not only effective but also meaningful and memorable. 

Finding the right balance

As a marketer, you’re likely experiencing both excitement and apprehension about the role of artificial intelligence in your field. Rest assured, the key to successful marketing in the age of AI lies in striking the right balance between your human creativity and the power of AI tools. Let’s explore how you use both to elevate your marketing game.

AI as a tool, not a replacement

Think of AI as a sophisticated tool that enhances your capabilities and streamlines your workflow. For example, tools like Dotdigital’s WinstonAI can supercharge your email campaigns. From generating compelling copy to predicting customer behavior through advanced analytics, AI-powered solutions can help you create high-converting campaigns with less effort.

Collaboration between humans and AI

The most effective marketing strategies will emerge from the collaboration between human marketers and AI systems. Your role involves providing creative direction, emotional intelligence, and a nuanced understanding of your brand and audience. 

In contrast, AI can offer data-driven insights, handle repetitive tasks, and process vast amounts of information at lightning speed. By combining your unique human touch with AI’s analytical strengths, you can develop marketing campaigns that are emotionally resonant and data-informed.

Continuous learning and adaptation

As you navigate this evolving landscape, remember that continuous learning and adaptation are essential. AI technology is advancing rapidly, and staying ahead will require you to regularly update your skills. This involves:

• Developing a solid understanding of AI capabilities in marketing
• Learning to interpret AI-generated insights effectively
• Honing your ability to apply these insights creatively to your marketing strategies

Looking ahead

AI is a powerful tool, capable of processing data and automating tasks. However, it’s your unique human qualities—creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking—that truly differentiate your marketing efforts. By merging the best aspects of both AI and human input, you can create campaigns that are not only effective but also resonate deeply with your customers.

1. Supercharge brainstorming with AI

Brainstorming sessions can be made more productive by integrating generative AI tools. Dotdigital’s WinstonAI can quickly sift through data to uncover trends and insights that can spark creative thinking in your team. This can help to overcome writer’s block and lead to discussions that generate fresh ideas. Be sure to make your prompts consistent and don’t hesitate to put your tool of choice to the test by asking it to deliver more creative ideas than previously. 

2. Embrace moments-based messaging

Moments-based messaging is a highly personalized approach to customer engagement, using AI technology to identify and capitalize on real-time micro-moments throughout the customer journey. By utilizing this method, you can ensure that your marketing campaigns consistently address the demands and desires of your customers, ultimately driving conversions and brand loyalty.

Here’s how you can make the most out of moments-based messaging in 2024: 

Use smarter segmentation

One effective way to optimize your marketing strategy is to use AI-powered segmentation tactics such as eRFM. By analyzing customer engagement levels, as well as the recency and frequency of their interactions with your brand, you can group customers into distinct segments. This helps you better understand their unique characteristics and preferences, allowing you to provide seamless customer experiences that resonate with your target audience on every channel.

Anticipate micro-moments with predictive analytics

AI-powered predictive analytics can reveal key micro-moments throughout the customer journey. These analytics can be used to categorize customers based on their probability of churning or their most likely date of next purchase. With this foresight, your marketing campaigns can proactively address a potential pain point or fulfill a need before your customer even realizes it. By utilizing predictive analytics, you can make data-driven decisions and stay ahead of the curve.

Employ dynamic content

By using AI-powered dynamic content blocks, you can display catalog items that are based on your customer’s shopping and browsing behavior. This will make your emails and product pages feel extra special to the viewer. The dynamic content is generated in real-time, so the experience adapts and updates every time a customer returns to your site or email. This will help increase engagement and drive conversions.

3. Elevate your email content using generative AI

Generative AI can be a game-changer when it comes to creating email content that engages your audience. WinstonAI offers valuable insights to improve the tone of your emails, identify areas that may require additional information, and highlight opportunities to take your email campaign to the next level.

But that’s not all, WinstonAI helps you optimize your email subject lines. By analyzing data from your 25 most recent email sends, it provides three alternative subject lines that are tailored to your brand and campaign style. This personalized approach ensures that your emails stand out and increase your open rates.

4. Upgrade customer support with live chat and AI

Live chat has come a long way in recent years and its capabilities go beyond simple customer service inquiries. Now you can solve customer problems in real-time with live-chat widgets that you can add directly to your website. 

Live chat can customize responses based on customer profiles, history, preferences, and their past interactions. This not only improves the customer experience but also saves valuable time, and resources for marketers and removes the barriers to purchase. 

5. Craft timely connections with triggered messages

Using triggered messages can help you deliver a more timely, personalized, and efficient approach to engaging your audience. These messages, sent in response to specific user actions or behaviors, strengthen customer relationships by providing relevant and valuable content or offers at just the right moment.

For example, consider a customer who adds a product to their online shopping cart but leaves without completing the purchase. An automated message—triggered by cart abandonment—could be sent a few hours later, reminding the customer of their unfinished transaction, offering assistance, or even providing a limited-time discount to incentivize the purchase. This personalized approach not only enhances the customer experience but also drives conversions and fosters brand loyalty.

6. Optimize send times for maximum impact

Are you looking for ways to improve your email marketing campaigns in 2024? If so, you might want to consider send time optimization. The time you send your email could be the difference between someone reading and engaging with your email and someone ignoring it. 

Send time optimization is a strategy that can help you maximize engagement rates by automatically sending emails at the most opportune moments. This AI-powered technology analyzes your contacts’ historical click behavior and finds the best time to send your emails to ensure they are seen and opened. This means you can tailor your send times to specific segments within your contact database, ensuring that your message reaches your audience members when they are most likely to engage. 

By automating your email sends, you can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent on manual scheduling, and this will help you achieve consistently high engagement rates across your campaigns. 

Embrace AI and automation for a winning 2024 marketing strategy

As get closer to 2024, it’s more important than ever to harness the power of AI and marketing automation to stay ahead of the competition. With the help of these cutting-edge technologies, you can streamline your marketing efforts and improve engagement, leading to continued growth and success for your brand. So why wait? Start exploring the possibilities of AI and marketing automation today.

In this blog post, we will explore the top personalization trends that will define the future of digital marketing in 2024. From artificial intelligence (AI) advancements to hyper-personalization and dynamic content, we’ll delve into the strategies that will help brands engage, attract, and keep customers loyal.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Personalization has become more advanced thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). With its ability to go through huge amounts of data and find meaningful patterns, AI helps deliver content that’s tailored just for your customers. By using machine learning, these algorithms can continuously improve and adapt to your user’s preferences. This results in highly relevant product recommendations, custom content, and promotions that are designed to captivate customers.

Dotdigital’s AI-driven product recommendations, for example, help pinpoint the products customers are most likely to be interested in. Our seven pre-built product recommendation categories — best sellers, trending, most viewed, lookalikes, best next, also bought, and custom category — cater to different stages of the customer journey.

Each category is designed to strategically target customers with personalized product options that match their preferences. When you offer customers products that genuinely pique their interest, you’re not only increasing the likelihood of a sale but also making their shopping experience a breeze. It’s a win-win situation for both you and the customer – they find what they’re looking for, and you achieve a successful sale.

Predictive analytics

By 2024, predictive analytics is expected to become essential for businesses seeking a competitive edge in understanding customer behavior. Digital marketers can utilize AI-driven predictive analytics to identify what customers are likely to do next.

At Dotdigital, we are dedicated to utilizing the potential of AI-driven predictive analytics to help digital marketers achieve their objectives. Our predictive analytics capabilities focus on four key areas: churn probability, predicted next purchase date, predicted customer lifetime value, and predicted total future orders. With Dotdigital’s predictive analytics capabilities, you can build customer segments based on these predictive metrics. What’s more, you can leverage the anticipated next purchase date to fine-tune your campaigns, ensuring they are tailored to your customers’ unique spending habits.

Hyper-personalization

Another trend for 2024 is hyper-personalization, which takes personalization to the next level by combining data from various sources such as behavioral, demographic, and transactional information. This comprehensive approach to personalization helps you gain a complete understanding of your customers, delve deeper into their preferences, and create messaging and offers that cater to their individual needs and desires.

Dotdigital has dynamic partner-built app blocks that allow you to personalize content and create engaging campaigns in just a few minutes. With no coding required, you can easily drag and drop third-party partner content into your emails and landing pages using EasyEditor. This helps you make the most of your existing martech stack while also reducing the number of customers who unsubscribe.

Today’s customers expect better experiences from the brands they choose to spend their money with. They prioritize quality over quantity and won’t hesitate to take their business elsewhere if they feel they’re not getting value from a brand. With our App Blocks, you can provide each customer with a better experience in every interaction.

Dynamic content

Looking ahead to 2024, dynamic content will play a significant role in personalizing email marketing. By utilizing customer data, such as their location, you can easily tailor your content and provide localized offers that engage your audience.

Imagine being able to address each recipient by their first name, showcase products they’re interested in, and highlight nearby in-store events. With the advancements in technology, personalizing your marketing communication has become a seamless process. You no longer need to create multiple campaigns for each version or individual recipient.

To achieve this, you can use data fields in your campaign creation to ensure each email feels unique to each customer. This method fills the content with information that is specific to each recipient, adding a personal touch to your email copy. As your audience interacts with your digital content, it adapts and becomes more tailored to their preferences, creating an effortless, personalized experience.

Personalizing your content with dynamic blocks allows you to reach your audience on a deeper level without spending countless hours manually crafting individual emails. Ultimately, you can elevate your email marketing by sending multiple variations of a single email, each rendered uniquely through the power of dynamic content.

Summary

The future of digital marketing lies in personalization. Customers crave tailored experiences, and marketers must embrace trends such as AI personalization, predictive analytics, hyper-personalization, and dynamic content to meet these expectations. Staying updated with these trends and leveraging advanced marketing solutions like Dotdigital will enable you to create effective and impactful campaigns that truly connect with your audience.

Get to know your target audience

Copywriting is all about creating a connection with your audience. To do so, you need to understand their needs, desires, and pain points. Start by diving into market research, identifying your customer’s demographics, and learning about their preferences and habits. By understanding your audience, you can create personalized content that resonates with them.

The second step is empathy. Place yourself in your customer’s shoes and see the world from their perspective. Write as if you’re speaking directly to them, addressing their concerns, alleviating their fears, and offering solutions to their problems. The more you understand and identify with your audience, the more impactful your copywriting becomes.

Use Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a powerful assistant that you can use to optimize your SEO copywriting efforts. Generative AI helps you with:

• Content optimization: You can use AI to analyze your content and provide real-time suggestions on improving your content. These recommendations may include keyword density, readability, structure, and other factors that could impact your search rankings. By utilizing these insights, you can ensure your content is more likely to be discovered by your target audience. 

• Keyword research: Keyword research is an essential aspect of SEO copywriting and tools like SEMrush can simplify this process by providing insights into relevant search terms your audience might be using. 

• Generating ideas and headlines: Content ideation can often be time-consuming for marketers. AI tools can help you scan the web and analyze popular trends and topics within your niche to provide fresh, engaging content ideas. 

• Proofreading: AI-driven grammar and spell-check tools like Grammarly are great for automatically identifying and correcting errors, ensuring your copy is polished and professional.

Write an attention-grabbing headline

The headline is often the first thing your reader sees and plays a significant role in grabbing their attention. A good headline should get your message across, spark curiosity, and encourage them to read more. Use powerful words and be concise to evoke emotion and pique interest.

Headlines should include your primary keywords. A mix of powerful, actionable language and SEO best practices will skyrocket your content visibility, attract new readers, and improve your search rankings.

Keep it clear and concise

Effective copywriting is all about delivering your message to the target audience in the most straightforward and impactful way possible. Remember, every word you write should serve a purpose, and unnecessary fluff will only dilute the power of your message. Here are some quick tips:

• Focus on one idea at a time: When writing copy, focus on one main idea per paragraph or section. Write in an active voice, keep your sentences, short, and punchy to communicate your point effectively. This makes your message easy to grasp and leaves no room for confusion. 

• Use accessible language: While you may have expertise in your industry, remember that your target audience might not share your level of knowledge. It’s important to use simple language and avoid jargon, technical terms, or acronyms that your audience may not understand. 

• Break up the text: Long, unbroken blocks of text can be intimidating and hard to read. Improve the readability of your copy by using white space, bullet points, and subheadings. This will make your content more visually appealing and easier to digest. 

• Use clear headings:  Clear, well-organized headings are essential not only for capturing your reader’s attention but also for providing accessibility to screen reader users. Properly structured headings help in guiding both visually impaired and non-impaired users through your content with ease. 

Use effective call-to-actions (CTAs)

Create effective CTAs to encourage your readers to take action. To achieve this, strategically embed persuasive CTAs throughout and at the end of your copy that focus on the benefits, and are action-oriented. Tailor your CTAs to fit your specific goals, such as driving subscriptions, boosting product sales, or generating leads —a CTA should be direct, use active language, and be interesting. 

Incorporate power words like ‘Discover,’ ‘New,’ and ‘Unlock’ to evoke a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different formats and styles to see what resonates best with your audience.

Optimize for SEO

Copywriting plays an essential role in creating content that ranks high on Google and other search engines. Research relevant keywords that your audience is likely to search for and seamlessly incorporate them into your content, headlines, and meta descriptions. Strike the perfect balance between readability and keyword density to avoid penalties from search engines.

Additionally, consider the overall structure of your content. Break it into easy-to-read sections with informative subheadings that also contain your keywords. To enhance your online presence and strengthen your backlink profile on Google, make certain to integrate high-quality, relevant external and internal links within your content, as these play a vital role in search rankings.

Cultivate a consistent brand tone of voice

The tone of voice, which serves as the “how” when conveying your message, combines elements like word choice, punctuation, and font style to evoke emotion in your readers. Striking the right balance between creativity and adherence to brand guidelines ensures that your messaging remains both engaging and familiar to your audience.

Defining a brand voice that aligns with your target audience is important for creating an emotional connection and laying the groundwork for meaningful, long-lasting customer relationships. By remaining consistent across various channels, you’ll not only strengthen your brand identity but also cultivate trust with your audience.

Test and measure results

Improving your copy is a continuous process, and A/B testing can help you achieve that. Create multiple variations of your copy, analyze which ones resonate well with your target audience, and use those insights to enhance your content. It’s important to remember that the first draft may never be perfect. Therefore, keep refining your copy based on your test results.

To improve your writing, set up a few key performance indicators (KPIs) to focus on. These metrics will help you pinpoint the areas of your copy that require more attention. When creating new content, prioritize those areas and give them the attention they deserve.

Adapt to evolving market trends

Adapt to evolving market trends, to create content that continues to strike a chord with your target audience. Here are some quick tips to keep up with market trends:

Look at the competition: Keeping an eye on your competitors gives you valuable insights into emerging trends, strategies that work (and those that don’t), and potential gaps to fill in your niche. Analyze their content, marketing tactics, and customer reviews, then use this information to refine your copy and stay ahead in the game.

Do market research: Staying updated with the latest market research helps you understand emerging trends and the shifting needs of your target audience. By gathering and analyzing information on customer preferences, you can adjust your content accordingly and maintain a strong connection with your audience.

Set up trend alerts: Keep track of industry trends and news that could impact your target audience by setting up alerts and notifications. Set up alerts and notifications – you can use platforms like Google Trends to effortlessly follow relevant topics. Use the insights you gather to update your copy and address any new developments or concerns with your audience.

SEO copywriting tips summary

Mastering the art of copywriting is a valuable skill that can significantly impact the success of your digital marketing efforts. By truly understanding your target audience and using empathy to connect with them, you’ll be able to create compelling messages that inspire action. Remember, every aspect – from attention-grabbing headlines to persuasive CTAs – works in harmony, guiding your reader through a captivating journey.

Don’t forget to prioritize SEO optimization and maintaining a consistent brand voice to maximize the reach and impact of your content. Embrace AI-based tools as they can assist you in streamlining your content creation process, optimizing for search engines, and better connecting with your target audience. As you refine your copywriting skills, stay agile and adapt to evolving market trends. Keep experimenting, measuring, and learning from your results, and you’ll soon become a copywriting expert with the ability to convert your readers into loyal customers.

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! 

Today, machine learning and artificial intelligence have joined forces with data science to help us see into the future with predictive analytics. Marketers can use insights to boost revenue, generate sales, and prevent shopper churn.

What is predictive analytics?

Predictive analytics is powered by machine learning models that analyze past behavior to identify patterns that predict what’s next. In other words, you can predict the future from today’s data.

According to a Venture Beat report, an impressive 44% of companies are embracing the power of data-driven insights by integrating predictive analytics into their marketing strategy. 

This growing trend highlights the widespread recognition of predictive analytics as a game-changing tool for businesses. Insights into the future are key to helping brands stay at the forefront of customers’ minds. This is done by identifying opportunities ahead of time and mitigating risks before they happen. 

Dotdigital offers four predictive insights: next order date, customer lifetime value (CLV), number of purchases, and churn probability.

Spot opportunities a mile away with Dotdigital

The best thing about seeing into the future is that you have the upper hand. Imagine a world where you could get intel on your customers before they even knew it themselves. Well, you don’t need to imagine it.

More revenue when you need it most

More revenue is always good. But seeing where and when it will come from is even better. Marketers can create campaigns that push people over the sales line with predicted next-order dates. 

Let’s say it’s been 21 days since a customer last placed an order, and they’re predicted to place another one in seven days. Here’s what you could do within the next week to increase the likelihood of them making a purchase:

• Send them personalized product recommendations
• Offer them a discount code
• Notify them of any active sales you’re running

Better yet, create a segment of customers who meet similar criteria to maximize campaign ROI. That way, anyone orders in the next seven days could be nudged to the end of the purchase funnel. 

Delight your most valuable customers

It’s likely you already know who your biggest spenders are, but that only looks retrospectively. Predicted CLV lets you see the overall value a customer could add to your business. That means you know exactly who to reward, expanding the longevity and value of your most engaged contacts. What are some ways to reward brand champions at scale?

• Remind them to join your loyalty program
• Give them exclusive or early access to sales or products
• Offer them VIP deals to expand their purchasing power with your brand

Foresee, expect, and avoid the risk

In the fast-paced marketing world, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. With predictive analytics, you will see potential risks and make data-driven decisions. 

Keep customers shopping with you over competitors

No one likes losing a customer. When churn happens, it‘s often too late to do anything about it, especially if you’re looking at customer data retrospectively. If you can foresee churn, it’s easier to craft experiences that re-engage because you have a key tool on your side: time.

Don’t spend too much or too little on a lost cause

The most effective retention campaigns take a lot of time and resources to create; in fact, they can be very expensive. When you have access to churn predictions, you know where to spend your energy. For example, why spend a week crafting a retention campaign for customers with a 95% churn probability? If they’re already uninterested, the last thing you want to do is push them away with another email.

Target those with a lower probability

Equally, those with the highest predicted churn rates will likely need a much harder sale to get re-engaged—for example, a hefty discount. To avoid reducing your profit margins, it’s best to only send this message to customers with a high probability of churning.

Hyperpersonalize to avoid brand erosion

We can all admit how easy it is to become fatigued by boring emails that don’t offer much value, particularly when they’re not personalized. The last thing you want to do is send an SMS campaign aiming to increase loyalty to a customer whose churn probability is high. You also don’t want to advertise a premium offer to someone with a low predicted CLV. It’s crucial to make sure that your messaging resonates with your audience to safeguard your brand. Otherwise, it may come across as insincere.

Easier customer profiling

If you want to know more about your customers, you can do it at a glance with the Dotdigital predictive diagram in the single customer view. Not only can you access all contact data in one easy location, but you can spot similarities seamlessly. Let’s say you discover that your customers with the highest predicted churn rates have not opened an email in over two months. 

You can then determine a customer profile that shows a correlation between engagement and churn. Better still, Dotdigital lets you generate a lookalike segment, which kickstarts your re-engagement campaign in just one click. With Dotdigital, profiling your customers for re-engagement or offering promotions is a few clicks away. This can help prevent customer churn and keep them interested in your brand through different channels.

Step into the future

Predictive analytics has revolutionized marketing. Marketers can now seize the opportunity and navigate risks before they arise. In the age of technological advancements, the potential of predictive marketing will only expand. This will reinforce the need to embrace a future-ready approach for a competitive edge. In today’s world, making data-driven decisions is crucial for success, and predictive analytics is leading the way in this transformation toward a bright future.

Predictive insights, AI-powered campaign support, and unified customer data all give you next-level tools to deliver successful marketing that stands out and lands with impact.

Let’s explore the new features now available from our May release.

Get early access to the new Dotdigital

Welcome to the new Dotdigital. We’ve upgraded our platform architecture and UI to ensure Dotdigital is everything you need now, and in the future. Taking on board customer feedback, the new version of our platform reflects changes in the marketing landscape, and in the ways you want to work. A customer experience and data platform built by marketers, for marketers.

A better user experience

We’ve updated various areas of the Dotdigital user interface to perfectly align with the working methods of the future marketer. We’ve incorporated your comments and suggestions to make it easier than ever for you to utilize all elements of the platform to the fullest, and save time thanks to our new, streamlined navigation.

Changes include:

• All channels now under one campaigns section.
• New and improved audience section to manage contacts, segments, personas, and more.
• Easy to discover analytics and reporting with the new analytics section.
• A new connect area for all your data requirements.

Plus, we’ve also made improvements to our campaign management tools to make the day-to-day management of your campaigns run smoother.

Updated campaign features:

• Simpler campaign replies. Campaign replies are now easier to manage in the Dotdigital platform.
• Improved sign-off process. You can now select multiple team members to have sign-off powers within the platform, reducing backlog and improving usability for large teams.
• Better campaign tags management. Campaign tags can be used to filter and customize performance reports in Dotdigital. A new dedicated area makes it much easier to see and manage all existing and new tags.
• Easier organization. You can now filter your campaign reports by date and even see how transactional campaigns performed during a specific time.
• Effortless product search. We’ve also made some improvements to make it quicker and simpler to find the products you want to include in campaigns.

Get a stronger, unified picture of your customers

Our new unified contact data technology allows you to link all customer data back to one single customer record. You now have more ways to identify contacts, and we’ll continue to expand the sources available to you, including our improved API and our ever-growing list of integrations.

Unified contact data allows you to get the full picture, and gives Dotdigital’s analytics tools more data to analyze when creating recommendations for you. Unified contact data is a big part of what powers a CXDP to enable you to elevate your customer experience.

Why unified contact data is important

• All your data in one place. All of your contact data will be kept together as a single source of truth.
• A clearer, 360 degree view. Unified contact data strengthens the insights you have on a customer, no matter where that data originates.
• Improved campaigns. Seamlessly create data-led campaigns in Dotdigital, providing highly relevant and personalized experiences for your customers.
• Save time. Benefit from all of your customer data from different software applications and multiple variations of customer accounts automatically syncing to Dotdigital.
• A future-proof platform. Unified contact data ensures Dotdigital grows with you as your business and tech stack grows.

How unified contact data works

Unified contact data allows you to unify your customer data from various marketing channels and different software that makes up your customer journey, under one roof. This gives you the full picture of your customers’ journey and experience so you can react with relevant and timely communications across multiple channels.

Unified contact data is now in a Public preview, so you can self-enroll straight away to unify your contact data if you wish to. All of our customers who took part in the limited early-preview love it, so we’re confident you’re going to as well.

An improved API

Our improved API helps you better unify your data by making it easier to connect your systems. Greater efficiency and speed means you can enjoy high speed access to data and easily put in and get out the data you need. There’s also more guidance to help you build your integration and troubleshoot any issues issues, faster than ever before. Our improved API is ready to integrate with your marketing stack now, and in the future too. Flexible infrastructure means that our platform is built to grow with you, and support you in that growth too.

Some highlights include:

• RESTful API with JSON payloads.
• Higher than ever call rates.
• High performance real-time data access, with bespoke content selection criteria.
• High throughput bulk data import mechanisms.
• Support for service versioning to ensure you automatically access the best version of the service without backward comparability issues.
• Unified security across all our APIs.

How to get started

You can start using the new Dotdigital today! Just head to this article in our help center for more information.

The power of generative AI at your fingertips

At Dotdigital, we’ve long utilized AI technology to offer you sophisticated insights, find engagement and revenue opportunities, and provide concrete actions for you to implement. Our latest release continues to build on this by giving you helpful tips and tricks on how to improve your campaign you when you’re putting together email content, or writing your next subject line.

Powered by WinstonAI

WinstonAI encompasses all sorts of known and new smart technology in the platform. Today we’re focusing on his generative AI capabilities. To do this, 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. Working also with Microsoft provides us with the security and enterprise promise of Azure, so you can be sure that you are adopting AI responsibly.

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is a form of machine learning that can produce various types of content, including text, imagery, and even audio, by analyzing huge amounts of previous data. Recent breakthroughs in the technology mean that the power of generative AI is now accessible to marketers in their day-to-day work, and we’ve incorporated this into the Dotdigital platform.

Why generative AI in marketing is important

• Get inspiration. WinstonAI appears when you create an email campaign and provides relevant and personalized inspiration based on analyzing pools of data.
• Stay focused and save time. You will receive AI-powered suggestions just when you need them most. WinstonAI is easily made part of your existing processes.
• Better content, more engagements. WinstonAI gives tips on how to improve the tone of your email, points out where your audience might need additional detail, and highlights opportunities that will make your campaign even more successful.
• Subject line support. WinstonAI will provide three subject line alternatives to the one you’re working on. These recommendations are based on data from your 25 most recent email sends, to ensure the advice is tailored to your brand and campaign style.

Predictive analytics

Know your customers’ next move before they do with predictive analytics. AI analyzes your customer data to create intelligence-driven predictions, so you don’t need to rely on guesswork.

Predictive analytics let you know what engagement and revenue opportunities are on the horizon and allows you to be proactive in converting that customer. This makes it easy to act at just the right moment to increase sales and put effective, long-term retention strategies in place.

Why predictive analytics are important

• Stronger campaigns. Improve customer targeting with intelligent insights powered by data.
• Improve CX. Provide an enhanced customer experience with expert personalization and just-in-time targeting.
• Save time. Let the tech do the heavy lifting for you, so you can focus on other campaign elements.
• Be one step ahead. Get exclusive intel to create proactive targeting strategies that will keep you ahead of the game.
• Insights you can trust. Have more confidence in your campaigns, inspired by concrete data analysis.

How predictive analytics works

Our predictive analytics focus on:

• Churn probability: (e.g. This customer is 40% likely to churn).
• Predicted next purchase date: (e.g. This customer’s next purchase date is predicted to be June 3).
• Predicted customer lifetime value: (e.g. This customer’s predicted CLV is $360).
• Predicted total future orders: (e.g. This customer is predicted to have three future orders in total).

The data will be available in:

• Single customer view as dynamic metrics.
• You can also create segments that use predictive metrics to decipher which customers to include.

How you can use predictive analytics

• Prevent shopper churn. Easily identify which customers are at risk of leaving your brand. Be proactive and target these customers with a powerful win-back campaign.
• Hit targets faster. Segment contacts based on predicted next purchase date and create campaigns with urgent messaging to encourage sales, such as time sensitive discount codes and free shipping for a limited time only.
• Encourage loyalty. Target customers that are likely to shop elsewhere by creating a segment based on whether they have missed their predicted purchase date. Make these customers feel valued and revive their interest before they go to another brand.
• Drive profitability. Identify and reward your future high-value customers with predicted customer lifetime value. Nurturing these customers early on can help ensure long-term success.

To get started with predictive analytics, sign up to our exclusive early access preview here.

What else is coming in this release?

New campaign heat maps

New campaign heat maps provide a clear, visual map of where contacts are engaging with your emails. Heat maps use a traffic light system to visually highlight where the most clicks take place, with red meaning most clicked, and green meaning least clicked.

This allows you to re-structure your emails to ensure key content is in the most prominent positions.

New Shopify and WooCommerce metafields

We now sync metafields (also called custom fields) as part of our out-of-the-box integrations for Shopify and WooCommerce. Merchants will be able to utilize the extra data they store against their customers and orders to create even more personalized experiences.

Metafields will be synchronized automatically and can be used to to create segments, power hyper-personalized dynamic content, and be deciding factors in automations and more.

New Gorgias integration

Gorgias is a customer service platform built specifically built for ecommerce brands. It allows support reps to communicate with customers across multiple channels, including live chat, SMS, social media, email, phone and more.

This integration will allow you to

• Get more insight into your customers, enabling you to personalize the messaging, content, channel and timing of your communications.
• Exclude contacts based on ticket status.
• Automatically enroll contacts into a program when their ticket is closed.

Back-in-stock notifications

As part of this release we launched back-in-stock notifications for all Big Commerce and Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) merchants using Dotdigital. Shopify merchants have been using and loving this feature for a few years. Our easy-to-use configurator means you can create on-brand notifications in no time at all and start generating more revenue in the background straight away.

Once a customer has signed up to back-in-stock notifications from your site, you can send them a triggered email as soon as the item is available to purchase. Back-in-stock email automations are a simple yet effective solution to recovering otherwise lost revenue. Not only do you save that initial sale, but also reduce the chances they will shop from a competitor (there and then, but also in the future).

Over to you

Now it’s over to you to get started with these new features, and of course reach out to your Customer Success Manager or head to our help center if you need any more information.

We’re also running a host of webinars to support this new release, sign up below.

Thanks to the likes of ChatGPT and Google Bard, I think we can all agree that 2023 to date has already felt like a quantum leap when it comes to AI. We knew from talking to our customers that they loved how these new tools were saving them time and upping the quality of their work.

So, we wanted to make it even easier for our customers to access this new generation of AI in our platform at a click of a button.

Enter, generative AI for Dotdigital.

Digital marketing powered by WinstonAI

WinstonAI encompasses all sorts of known and new smart technology in the Dotdigital platform. Most recently, we added a new power to the mix: Generative AI. For this, 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. 

But what exactly is generative AI?

Generative AI is a form of machine learning (ML) that can produce different types of content. From text, audio, and imagery – generative AI can analyze huge amounts of data to generate highly relevant content. The leaps in technology made in recent years mean that the power of generative AI is now available to marketers in their day-to-day work – and we’ve incorporated this into the Dotdigital platform. 

Unleash your creativity with AI

With WinstonAI, you can receive campaign feedback on your email content in real-time. Use this feedback to gain inspiration and find data-driven and creative improvements to increase engagement levels.

WinstonAI shows up when you need him most: 

• Email content: WinstonAI appears in the Dotdigital email editor and provides you with personalized recommendations on how to refine your copy. Whether that’s simplifying your language, adapting the tone to fit your message, or giving you valuable tips on how to make your content more engaging.
• Subject line: Improve the open rates of your email campaigns with subject line recommendations. WinstonAI expertly analyzes up to 25 of your previous subject lines and provides tailored suggestions to resonate more effectively with your audience. You’ll receive 3 alternative solutions to choose from.

The benefits of WinstonAI

• Get inspiration quickly. It’s impossible to always be on top of your game. WinstonAI is there for you when you need help getting campaign ideas off the ground.
• Avoid writer’s block. Gone are the days of scratching your head, wondering what to write. Our AI assistant is always learning, so it will never run out of tips and suggestions.
• Focus on what matters. Because he’s in your workspace, WinstonAI saves time, making your workday more efficient and freeing up your time to focus on the bigger picture.
• Improve engagement and conversions. WinstonAI pulls from a vast pool of data and experience, giving you new ideas for campaigns you might not have thought of yet, ultimately leading to more engaging content that delivers conversions.
• Simple and effective. Native in our email builder, you don’t have to worry about integrating new AI software into your existing martech stack, we’ve already done that for you.

What are WinstonAI users saying?

WinstonAI’s users across the globe praise its capacity to simplify email campaign content creation and improve employment rates. Hear firsthand from one of our many happy WinstonAI users, Alana Arthur, from Wittner Shoes in Australia:

How does WinstonAI’s generative AI capability work?

Behind the scenes, WinstonAI draws on generative AI technology from our long-time technology partner Microsoft Azure. Microsoft Azure was one of the early sponsors of OpenAI, one of the foremost innovators in this space, and the team behind ChatGPT.

We’re proud to work with Microsoft Azure on this because our relationship with them ensures we can deliver high-quality product features, great data governance, and security as standard, so you can be confident that all your data is protected and you’re adopting AI responsibly.