Marketing

Back-to-school shopping is becoming a longer, more deliberate, and more cross-channel process. The National Retail Federation found that 78 percent of shoppers are expecting higher prices on back-to-school items this season. And with 46 percent saying they’re waiting for the best deals to finish their shopping, consumers are taking more time to research, compare, and…

Retailers have spent the last decade investing heavily in customer experience. They've optimized websites, refined mobile journeys, embraced personalization, and invested in CRM platforms to better understand their customers. Collectively, these efforts have transformed how people discover and buy products online. However, while businesses have become increasingly sophisticated at winning the sale, many still underestimate…

Every November retailers spend billions trying to seduce shoppers with bigger discounts and longer sales that start earlier and earlier. Then, unless you've planned how you're going to keep those shoppers engaged post-peak, the relationship is over a week later. The interesting thing, though, is that this experience isn't actually what modern shoppers want from…

Throughout your career, you've focused on one audience: people. Understanding people was the difference between a good marketer and a great one. The goal was straightforward. Help customers discover your brand, compare products, make a purchase, and keep coming back. Every investment in marketing, commerce, loyalty, and customer experience was designed around influencing human decisions.…

Retailers have spent decades (and billions of dollars) building loyalty ecosystems designed to understand their customers, personalize experiences, and give people a reason to come back. But now, just as those programs are becoming more sophisticated, something new is inserting itself between retailers and their customers: artificial intelligence. Consumers are using AI assistants to discover…

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will levy a 6 percent average rate hike for several package shipping services during the 2026 peak season, according to an agency filing Tuesday. The temporary holiday rate hikes, which are pending review from the Postal Regulatory Commission, would impact retail and commercial USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, Priority Mail…

For more than two decades, dashboards have been the center of the marketing technology universe. Every new platform promised better reporting, more customizable charts, and deeper insights to help marketers make smarter decisions. However, that model is evolving. With the proliferation of conversational artificial intelligence, marketers are beginning to look for answers instead of reports.…

For years, marketers treated first-party data like the finish line. Collect enough email addresses, loyalty accounts, and purchase history, and you'd have a competitive advantage. Today, many brands have all that data and are still struggling to grow. Many brands have plenty of data. The question is whether they can trust it, activate it, and…

Artificial intelligence is becoming more visible across the online shopping journey, though consumer behavior is shifting in more selective ways than many anticipated. Rather than overhauling how they shop, consumers are incorporating AI into specific tasks where it simplifies effort, while continuing to rely on familiar sources for validation and final decisions. Contentsquare’s consumer survey…

There’s some seriously good news for small businesses right now: Consumer love for independent brands is soaring. But as any business owner will tell you, a surge in interest brings a whole new set of challenges. With social media now serving as a primary way for consumers to discover brands, small business owners find themselves…