Michael Lee

Strategic Editor

The times they are a-changin’ (and so should you)

Tariffs are fueling buying uncertainty. Ad spending forecasts are dropping. Deep discounts are no longer consistently viable. And ecommerce returns keep eating away at margins. 

Yikes.

But what is a marketer if not resilient? That’s why, when times start changing, you need to adapt, too. 

Here are some helpful tips we shared in our recent best practices webinar to help you weather any macroeconomic storm that blows your way: 

Know what works (and act fast!) 

Keep an eye on your most relevant and important metrics with custom analytics dashboards (or turn to AI for quicker assistance). 

Once you know what you need to act on, use AI-powered AutoSegments and contextual personalization to automatically find the right customers to target and deliver the right message. 

Focus on retention 

While acquiring new customers is always a priority for businesses, you also need to be careful not to lose sight of the ones you already have. After all, boosting retention is your best bet to weather tumultuous times. 

Identify customers that need a little TLC and target them with automated reactivation campaigns. When customers move between loyalty tiers, celebrate that engagement with personalized rewards.

And if you must raise prices? Pair these changes with value adds like free shipping or extended return periods to see how customers react. 

Make your campaigns work for you 

There’s enough for you to keep up with without having to get bogged down by manual processes. 

Incorporate dynamic content blocks to automatically adjust recommendations to each customer. Then, pair that with AI-driven optimal send time predictions to drive more engagement and conversions. 

So…yes, while economic uncertainty isn’t fun for anyone, you can market through the madness by being flexible, efficient, and strategic. Happy marketing!

I’m not Gen Z, but I’m definitely feeling Gen Con

Gen Con (the largest board game convention in the US) took place a few weeks ago, so I wanted to share some of my favorite recent-ish releases. There’s something here for everyone — I guarantee you won’t be…board. 

• Bomb Busters — Work together to disarm a bomb, but with limited communication. It’s a premise that you can’t re-fuse. 
• Critter Kitchen — Gather ingredients and cook dishes to impress critics. Some fresh mechanics mean this game won’t be panned.
• SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence — Use clever card play and strategy to discover alien life. Just be sure not to space out.

Looking for more content?

In case you missed it in the last issue, Texas SB 140 is going into effect on September 1st. Make sure you know what to expect and how to ensure you’re meeting the new requirements (Bloomreach can help a lot here!).  

While you’re shoring up your SMS strategy, don’t forget about email, which is still the most effective marketing channel. Check out our new content hub on the key ingredients for successful email marketing at enterprise-level scale.

Here’s to hoping you take my advice and let AI do some heavy lifting for you. That way, you can go play some board games! But just don't forget to keep an eye out for the next issue of The Edge on September 4th.