Ignition Network - INsights

Putting The Shopper First

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:08:00 -0400

In his article Putting the Shopper in Your Shopper Marketing Strategy, author Matt Nitzberg of dunnhumbyUSA, makes a strong argument that: “Shopper Marketing is rarely done well.” A key point Nitzberg uses to reinforce this position is that, too often, “consumer marketing concepts are reapplied without tailoring to the shopper mindset and opportunity.” The bottom line? Offers aren’t relevant. As a card-carrying member of my local supermarket’s loyalty program, I am constantly amazed when our household gets offers for diapers and other baby products. Our youngest child has his learner’s permit! This retailer doesn’t seem to know us at all. What are they doing with all that information they’ve been gathering on our family’s shopping patterns over the years? This seems to be typical of what is going wrong with many shopper marketing programs today, which suffer from the inability to properly target consumers who are on the path to purchase. This happens when data sources for shopper insights are in siloes and key stakeholders only have a piece of the puzzle. The answer is a universal shopper marketing technology platform that can aggregate and share all data insights to unify every stakeholder along the path to purchase. A path to sales I see the new frontier of shopper marketing as a blend of mass marketing and direct marketing to drive engagement and purchases with shoppers by connecting relevant content, offers and rewards based on shopper insight. Instant Ignition is the holistic shopper marketing technology platform solution. With it, our clients are able to target and reach their highest value shoppers at the right time during their path to purchase, driving profitable sales.

Does your online promotion offer a “split tender” rewards option?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:08:00 -0400

I like to redeem my rewards points for a popular coffee house gift card. I do this frequently; such is my love of venti skim mochas, no foam, and light whip — extra hot. (Sometimes I’ll even get a scone.) Then it’s anyone’s guess when that gift card can no longer cover the full cost of my order. In those instances, I pay the difference in cash. That’s called “split tender.” It means using two forms of payment for a single purchase. Lately, a few loyalty marketers have adopted the “split tender” idea for their rewards fulfillment. For example, let’s say you are browsing on a rewards redemption site to see what you can get for the 2000 points you recently accumulated during the latest holiday promotion. Then you see the exact thing you have always wanted. BUT it is 2500 points. What to do? Happily, this time you don’t have to lose out, thanks to the site’s option of paying cash to make up the difference. Problem solved. But not every online rewards mall offers that option. Many are still “all-or-nothing”, which can lead to customer disappointment. The great user experience starts from the inside out – and that includes developing an infrastructure that can support multiple ways to pay. Many companies have so much legacy code, or such a cumbersome technical infrastructure, that it’s hard for them to adjust their user experience at the same rate technology and consumer options change. Ignition Network found a way to empower our clients’ customers by creating IX, a modular ecommerce structure with “split tender” capabilities that support multiple checkout options.

The Practical Benefits of Hybrid Promotions.

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:08:00 -0400

Are you creating a great experience for your customers?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:17:00 -0400

Brands have been trying to create memorable customer experiences (with limited success) for years. Why is it that brands like Apple or Nordstrom’s can successfully engage consumers while others fail so miserably? It’s because they focus on resolving problems no one else in their industry dares to address— the customer experience. Customer experience (CX) planning is the discipline that fuels this customer-centric movement. The downloadable infographic is a handy way to remember key elements when planning your next promotion. This type of planning is the conscious effort of advocating on behalf of the customer, with the goal of achieving a WIN-WIN situation for everyone involved. Brands don’t have to be selfish in order to make profits. CX strategy assumes all customers deserve respect, regardless of sophistication level.

What kind of architecture do you use for online promotions?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:25:00 -0400

“Does it matter,” you shrug. Well, if you care about time and cost efficiencies then, yeah it matters. A lot. In the traditional nTier architecture, all functional code is part of the website. Direct access to the database server is required and reusability is often done by copy and paste. While that’s fine for “ground up” development of a program or promotion, it doesn’t allow you to leverage what you’ve already invested into your next promotion. It’s like starting from scratch, every time. Instead you can opt for an approach that does not require direct access to the database server. This service-oriented architecture (or SOA) is the approach Ignition Network uses in our Instant Ignitionsm platform. The functional code is contained in our Master Control Framework for a building block approach that lets you create a custom program that fits your unique requirements. You enjoy the cumulative benefits of your prior activity. That all adds up to high impact and engagements at a significantly lower cost–and less time–than a traditional diagonal development methodology. And now you know.

“So... What’s Your Strategic Process?”

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:13:00 -0400

It’s a popular request of agencies in the RFP process. There are many answers to how agencies work—and they usually come curiously packaged and trademarked. But they all seem to boil down to Stephen King’s famous “Five Questions” that make up the classic planning cycle. “Stephen King,” you might exclaim. “The author of horror and suspense designed the planning cycle?” Well, that’s just what I thought when I first came upon this wonderfully elegant tool. But I quickly learned that this Stephen King was the co-inventor of account planning. King’s five simple questions help keep the marketing journey on track and energized. They provide a model that recognizes that the planning and execution of any program strategy can only be a process for continuous learning and adaptation—and, of course, improvement. Nobody said simple and basic was easy. But, but if you do it right, it will always be interesting, effective and rewarding.