The push to find out how consumers interact with their favorite brands has proven to be a catalyst for vendors to deliver website analytics tools. Most companies are done trying to push products onto consumers because they realize (unless you’re Apple) that it doesn’t work. Instead, they’re more focused on learning what consumers actually want and deliver on those desires. eCommerce companies have a wealth of information at their fingertips, but only if they have the tools to collect and analyze...

As it turns out, Jaron Lanier, a leading computer scientist, author and scholar, has the ability to see into the future. Well, not really. But as the man who coined the term virtual reality, he’s pretty good at making educated guesses. In his new book, “Who Owns the Future?,” Lanier predicts a future that is led by those who own the biggest and most effective computers that are able to gather and analyze data better than anyone else, thereby calculating...

For all of you Jeopardy junkies out there – you know who you are: The title of this blog could be an answer for a Jeopardy clue something along the lines of: “The future of customer engagement depends on this super computer.” And although Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter probably could have answered correctly, the majority of Americans might not know what IBM’s question-answering computer has been up to since beating the two out on the game show’s ultimate tournament of...

Guest post by Avery Cohen – Metrist Partners   If you’re a marketer serving B2B or consumer websites, expect to encounter an evolving use of eCommerce analytics tools in 2014. Why? Because businesses will continue to adapt to a simple yet inevitable shift in buyer behavior in which nearly all buyers, B2B and consumer, research their problem and possible solutions online before ever speaking to a salesperson.   Therefore, marketers need to be a central part of their customers’ research experience on social...

One of the biggest challenges faced by retailers today is figuring out where to put their marketing dollars. With consumers taking so many avenues toward an eventual purchase, it’s tough to know what messages are truly making an impact. Attribution modeling – although an intimidating idea to tackle for some – can help marketers make sense of their customers’ interaction histories and their ever-growing collection of cross-channel data.   Attribution modeling for the masses   Not so long ago, attribution modeling...

“The cultural and organizational implications are huge. Relationships must be fully reciprocal and once that relationship is established, companies of all sizes need to be prepared to act based on the influence of the customer. In this way, organizations are shifting from being merely customer-centric to customer-activated.”   This was just part of the message shared from the editors at IBM in regard to a recent study, which focused on midmarket companies and their intent on developing a digital strategy. The...

Working off of consumer-wide shopping statistics and customer-engagement best practices is a sound method for launching an eCommerce marketing campaign. But as most businesses owners know, no two companies or industries are alike. What might work for a clothing retailer, might not find traction for a lawn care provider. Therefore, businesses will have to look within to discover how their own customers are attracted and retained.   And as far as best practices are concerned, IBM reminded business owners in a...