Ometria

Mark your calendars; Lifecycle will return to London next year on April 30th! ⏱️ Lifecycle is a conference that brings a community of retail marketers together to learn, share, and build the future of our industry. Now running for over a decade, it's an unmissable opportunity to hear from industry leaders, connect with like-minded peers, and get inspired by new possibilities. And we think you're going to love #Lifecycle25's theme 👀 Watch this space... In the meantime, we seriously recommend blocking out April 30th on your calendar — You're not going to want to miss this. See you in 2025! 👋

2025 is just around the corner, but what does the new year hold for the world of retail? Our report, Retail in 2025: What's Now, What's Next, has the answers. This is your essential guide to creating a future-ready strategy as we head into next year and beyond. Here’s what you’ll get: ✔️ Balanced analysis of the 5 most important trends shaping retail - from social commerce to AI. ✔️ The impact these trends will have on your business, and how you can adapt your strategy to take full advantage of them. ✔️ Exclusive strategic insight from top CMOs and CTOs from the likes of Steve Madden, Allbirds, and Kindthread. Get your copy here - just click to start reading no email or form fill required! ⬇️ https://hubs.li/Q02_dRCM0

Our 2024 Cyber Week Debrief is here! Now that the dust has settled, our in-house retail experts have analyzed the data from our customer base, which consists entirely of retail brands, to uncover the key trends that shaped this year's Black Friday and Cyber Week. 📊 From the headline stats to the in-depth analysis, this report offers invaluable insight into the biggest shopping week of the year, perfect for benchmarking your performance and preparing your strategy for 2025. Ready to dive into the data? Get the full breakdown here: https://hubs.li/Q02-ltxg0

Aaand breathe: We've made it to Cyber Monday! We hope you've had a successful Cyber Week. But whilst the end is in sight for the Black Friday chaos, a new challenge is already beginning: Retention. The discounting frenzy that Black Friday is famous for can mean that new customers acquired during this time are just one-time buyers hunting for a bargain. But this doesn't always have to be the case... Our Post-Black Friday Checklist has everything you need to nurture and convert your Cyber Week shoppers into 2025 and beyond; from the crucial post-purchase moment, to the perfect messaging. Click here to get your copy ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/erBKEK_V

Buckle up, Black Friday is finally here! As we head into this critical weekend, our data from across 200+ retail brands shows that revenue in the Black Friday run-up is up 8% on 2023. Initially tracking closely with 2023's figures, 2024 revenues really started to gather pace at the 4-week mark, with the biggest spike, naturally, a week prior to Black Friday itself. This comes as bosses at some of the UK's biggest retailers, from Marks and Spencer to Tesco, make quietly confident predictions for a strong season's trading, with Gen Z and Millenials expected to lead the charge. What's behind this trend? Well, PwC's consumer sentiment survey suggests that shoppers are feeling more cheerful thanks to lower inflation and interest rates. However, concerns over the cost-of-living still linger, meaning consumers will be more conscious than ever about getting genuine deals. We're pleased to see that the early signs are looking positive, but Black Friday is just one touchpoint in the holiday season. In the coming weeks, retailers will be turning their attention to finishing the year strong—and crucially, retaining the shoppers they acquire now as loyal customers into the new year and beyond. What are your predictions for this weekend's trading? 👀

Cyber Week 2024 is set to be huge for SMS, cementing its status as an essential channel, not an optional one. Let's discuss what makes SMS so powerful. 👇 Taking a step back, the rise of SMS goes hand-in-hand with the rise of mobile shopping. Last year, a record 79% of Cyber Week ecommerce traffic originated from mobile phones according to Tidio, up from 76% in 2022. This, combined with SMS's strengths as an instant method of communication with high conversion rates, makes the channel a powerhouse for Cyber Week success. 🚀 Some of the strongest applications of SMS we've seen are based on driving a quick response, from dropping daily deals (like DUSK.com), to announcing limited time offers (like Crew Clothing Company). But ultimately, SMS is at its most powerful when integrated as part of a joined-up cross-channel approach, and based on rich customer data. When you make that a priority, you can truly personalize and tailor every message. What's been your favorite use of SMS so far in the Black Friday run up? ⬇️

Let's talk about the in-store shopping trends of peak 2024 so far, and what they mean for the future of omnichannel. 🛒 Though ecommerce unsurprisingly continues to dominate, our data from our customer base shows that 31% of purchases in November 2024 so far have been made in-store (a slight increase on last November), with this figure expected to shoot up over the weekend. In fact, the store has become a marketing centrepiece for many brands this year as they kick off the holiday season, with Christina Aguileira opening H&M's flagship Times Square store last week. But crucially, in-store shoppers are supplementing their experience with digital elements: A study from Google and Ipsos found that more than half of holiday shoppers who visited a store during the 2023 holiday season said they looked up product reviews and item availability online first. The takeaway? The brands that create differentiated in-store experiences as part of a wider omnichannel strategy will see the biggest pay-off this year. 🛍️ One of our favorite 2024 examples is Beauty Pie's 'Holiday Party', a 9-day pop-up event offering attendees the chance to sample products, attend workshops, and even buy online on the day (with free express shipping bundled in). This omnichannel approach combines the strengths of in-person and online shopping, delivering an immersive brand experience that customers will love. Which brands have nailed the omnichannel experience so far this season? ⬇️

We crunched the numbers from across our client base of 200+ retail brands, and we found that email send volumes in the 8 weeks leading up to Black Friday are up by an average of 9% on 2023. This year's data reveals notable trends: a significant spike in email activity 7 weeks before Black Friday, suggesting that retailers are starting their campaigns earlier, and a steady rise beginning 4 weeks prior, marking the period when Black Friday promotions gain momentum. Why is this significant?👇💡 First off, this rise reflects the increasing pressure retailers are under to deliver big returns at peak amidst living-cost concerns and economic uncertainty. And as a result, consumers have more crowded inboxes than ever, which begs the question: How can your brand stand out amongst the competition? What we're seeing in response is a clear push towards greater sophistication in personalization and segmentation — and AI is often behind it. For example, this year we've seen our clients using predictive affinity to go deeper with product recommendations, or frequency modelling to send a message when a customer is most likely to convert, all powered by AI. Ultimately, the winners will be those that prioritize personalization and invest in AI to make every message go further. 📨 Does AI-driven personalization feature in your peak season strategy? Tell us more! ⬇️

Gone are the days of Black Friday as a one-weekend event: This year, brands will be running Black November. With campaigns stretching weeks, not days, sky-high competition, and buyers that are savvier than ever, what have retailers been doing to maximize results in 2024? 👇 FOMO-inducing tactics like VIP early-access sales and passcode-locked sites have remained popular this year, with brands like PERCIVAL Menswear and TALA using them to identify, engage and reward their most loyal customer segments. We've also seen a number of brands omitting mentions of Black Friday all together, running private, limited-time sales events like ARKET, or simply focusing on gifting-led messaging. The key takeaway? Your Black November success is all about the long game. It's about understanding your key customer segments, activating them early, and nurturing them throughout peak in a way that's consistent with your brand. What brands have stood out for you in the Black Friday build up? Let us know. ⬇️

New partnership alert! 📥 We're excited to announce that we've teamed up with Trustpilot to make gathering authentic customer reviews a breeze. 🍃 Combining the power of Ometria's CDXP with Trustpilot's review platform, this integration will allow teams to effortlessly request customer reviews through personalized, automated invitations, triggered by the key events they define. This means you can gather valuable social proof, strengthen brand credibility, and enhance the post-purchase experience—all while saving time and effort for marketing teams. We're thrilled to be working with Trustpilot to help our clients add another personalization string to their bow. 🎯 Find out more here ➡️ https://hubs.li/Q02YbkqX0