By Tyler Jordan

Maximize your marketing budget with effective Google Ads optimization strategies that prioritize performance and protect your brand’s interests.

The Gist

• Beware of default settings. Make sure your budget is allocated to high-performing channels like search, not Google Display Network or Search Partners.
• Question recommendations.Take Google’s rep suggestions cautiously, as they may prioritize Google’s profits over your brand’s needs.
• Optimize what you control. Use advanced strategies like optimizing for revenue and integrating CRM data to guide campaigns toward desired outcomes.

I’ve worked with Google Ads for almost 15 years. When I started working in search engine marketing, Google was a great partner that cared about helping brands succeed.

Those were the good old days.

Today, there are countless stories of reps pushing irrelevant features, formerly helpful reps being laid off in the shift to AI-based “service” and Google Ads campaigns that essentially encourage advertisers to set a budget and leave the rest to Google. Google reps are now prioritizing revenue for Google above all else, brands be damned. (If you don’t believe me, check out Sundar Pichai’s commentary on Google’s Q1 earnings call.)

Now, effective Google Ads optimization is especially crucial to make sure your budget is allocated to high-performing channels.

How to Make Your Marketing Budget Work for You, Not Google

Unless you’re marketing for a huge brand and have a dedicated rep whose main goal is to retain your business, your brand is vulnerable to all this. Here’s a list of recommendations for making sure your advertising budget is working for you — and not just Google’s bottom line.

Check Your Default Settings

Multiple brands have come to us with default settings that allocate the majority of the brand’s budget to Google Display Network and Search Partners, with nothing going to search — which is an exponentially higher-performing channel. Last month, we did an audit for a brand that had just spent many thousands of dollars on the GDN and Search Partners, with zero conversions to show for it.

Take Every Recommendation You Hear From a Rep With a Grain of Salt

Remember that their goal now is to make money for Google’s shareholders, not your brand. Even if it’s a cool-sounding beta that might offer early adoption advantages, think critically about whether it’s the right strategic move for your brand before signing up. Prioritize strategies that support your Google Ads optimization goals.

Make Sure You’re Controlling What You Can Control in Your Campaigns

Let’s say you’re an ecommerce brand that has to use PerformanceMax campaigns, and you’re telling the campaigns to optimize for conversion goals. If you leave the rest to Google, they’ll optimize for the easiest conversions, which will probably be your lowest-cost products.

By Tyler Jordan

Tyler Jordan is CEO of Jordan Digital Marketing. Tyler founded Jordan Digital Marketing (JDM) in July 2017 after extensive stints working on both sides of the agency-client relationship.

Sourced from CMSWIRE

By Steve Hall

In the highly competitive world of e-commerce, building a recognizable and trustworthy brand is crucial for success. With an overwhelming number of online stores vying for attention, businesses need innovative strategies to stand out. Guest posting is a highly effective approach that has proven its worth over time. This method involves contributing content to other websites in your niche, and it offers tremendous potential for boosting your brand’s visibility, authority, and reach.

This article will explore how guest posting can significantly boost your e-commerce brand and why it should be part of your digital marketing strategy. Along the way, we’ll discuss how certain niches, like sports, can use targeted guest posting strategies by leveraging opportunities.

Increased Brand Visibility and Reach

Guest posting allows you to tap into an established audience, giving your brand instant exposure to a broader group of potential customers. When you contribute high-quality, relevant content to authoritative websites within your niche, you position your brand in front of readers who may have yet to encounter your e-commerce store.

Writing informative and engaging content related to your products or expertise in sports can subtly introduce readers to your brand while providing them with valuable information.

The more exposure you get through guest posts, the more likely readers will recognize your brand, which can increase traffic and conversions for your e-commerce store. This awareness is crucial in building a brand that resonates with its target audience.

Improved SEO and Domain Authority

Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital for the success of any e-commerce website. One of the most significant benefits of guest posting is its ability to strengthen your SEO efforts by building backlinks to your site. Backlinks, or links from external websites to your e-commerce site, are one of Google’s ranking factors. When you guest post on authoritative websites, those backlinks signal to search engines that your website is credible and relevant.

For instance, if you write a guest post for a sports website that offers guest post opportunities, including a link to your store, it can enhance your SEO profile. The more high-quality backlinks you obtain, the higher your website is likely to rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). Improved search rankings lead to greater organic traffic, giving your e-commerce brand more chances to convert visitors into customers.

Moreover, guest posting helps to diversify your backlink profile, reducing the risk of penalties from search engines. Building links through various reputable sites increases your domain authority, further boosting your site’s ability to rank.

Establishing Authority and Trust

One of the most powerful ways guest posting can boost your e-commerce brand is by establishing you as an authority in your niche. When you regularly publish insightful and valuable content on well-regarded websites, your audience begins to see you as an expert.

This authority doesn’t just lead to respect among your peers; it also fosters trust with potential customers. People are more likely to buy from brands they perceive as knowledgeable and trustworthy. You showcase your expertise non-promotionally by contributing guest posts on topics related to your e-commerce products or services. This builds credibility, making your audience more inclined to choose your products over a competitor’s.

For example, if your e-commerce store focuses on selling sports equipment, writing educational pieces for sports websites about training tips, product reviews, or sports science can help you establish yourself as a go-to source of information in the industry.

Building Relationships and Networking

Guest posting is not only about reaching new customers; it also helps you build relationships within your industry. Contributing to blogs, websites, and platforms in your niche fosters partnerships with other content creators, influencers, and business owners. These relationships can open up further collaboration opportunities, such as co-promotions, joint ventures, or influencer partnerships.

Additionally, networking with editors and blog owners creates a positive reputation within your industry. This can lead to more guest post invitations, cross-promotions, and potential media coverage, boosting your brand’s visibility.

In the sports niche, for instance, contributing to a website blog section can help you connect with fellow sports enthusiasts, coaches, or influencers. These relationships may result in opportunities to feature your e-commerce products in their content, guest appearances on podcasts, or sponsorships in sports-related events.

Targeted Traffic and Qualified Leads

Unlike paid advertising, which can bring in untargeted or uninterested visitors, guest posting tends to attract more qualified leads. Since guest posts are typically hosted on niche-specific websites, you’ll reach an audience already interested in your offer. If your e-commerce store sells fitness apparel or sports gear, this audience will likely click through to your website, explore your products, and purchase.

The key to generating qualified leads through guest posting is to offer valuable, actionable content while subtly promoting your brand. Instead of aggressively advertising your products, focus on providing solutions, tips, and information that align with your audience’s interests. This will naturally lead interested readers to your website, where they can explore your offerings further.

Enhancing Content Marketing Strategy

Guest posting is a natural extension of your content marketing efforts. In today’s digital landscape, businesses must consistently produce high-quality content to engage audiences and keep them returning. By diversifying your content distribution through guest posts, you’re expanding your content marketing reach and driving more traffic to your e-commerce website. For instance, if your e-commerce store focuses on the sports industry,

Publishing sports guest post on sports websites that accept can help you distribute your content to an audience already passionate about your products. At the same time, you’re adding new layers to your content marketing strategy, such as blog posts, articles, and tutorials, which provide long-term value to your audience.

Conclusion

Guest posting is a powerful and cost-effective strategy for growing your e-commerce brand. From increasing visibility and improving SEO to establishing authority and attracting qualified leads, the benefits of guest posting are undeniable. By contributing valuable content to reputable websites, particularly those within your niche, you can position your brand as a trusted authority while driving traffic and boosting sales

By Steve Hall

Sourced from ADRANTS

By Navid Ashroff

We know that modern businesses must embrace an omnichannel approach to succeed.

Gone are the days when phone calls and fax machines ruled the communication world. In many cases, voice has been replaced by email, texting, in-app messaging, social media and more. Customers simply have more choices when interacting with businesses.

Smart marketers use automation to optimize their omnichannel outreach efforts. With sophisticated playbooks that include if/then statements and flow charts, marketers strive to target prospects via the right channel at the right time with the right message.

New Challenges Facing New Channels

While modern communication channels have brought undeniable benefits, they also face new limitations. For example, in the fall of 2023, Google, Yahoo and other email providers unveiled stricter requirements for sending bulk emails. When these requirements aren’t met, emails will be rejected. And, as any marketer knows, failing to reach your customers’ inboxes can prove catastrophic for even the most well-thought-out campaigns.

What about outbound phone calls? Many changes and developments in recent years have hampered the effectiveness of cold calling. It’s often hard to find the best number for contacts, as almost half of the population changes their number every few years. And even if you get the correct number, many phones automatically silence unknown numbers.

These days, there are simply too many issues that come from accepting calls from an unknown source. Did you know that Americans get more than 50 billion spam calls a year? It’s no wonder that 80% of cold calls go straight to voicemail, and 90% go unreturned. When 92% of the population assumes that unidentified callers are trying to scam them, you simply can’t rely on phone calls.

Even social media presents obstacles. Marketers have no control over the visibility of their posts, meaning they don’t know what’s getting through to their followers. In extreme cases, platforms have shut down valid accounts, causing years of hard work to go up in smoke.

Voice Broadcasting: A Time-Tested Solution

Just as ’90s fashion is once again appearing in popular style trends, voice broadcasting, a mass communication technique that broadcasts telephone messages to hundreds or thousands of call recipients at once, is making a comeback in the business world. Why is this older strategy thriving in our digital world? Because when something is proven to work well, there’s no reason to move away from it.

Many businesses are adding voice broadcasting systems because they give them more control of their campaigns and complement the newer communication channels. Voice recording creates a human connection that cannot be replicated by AI or automation.

As you’d expect, older demographics respond particularly well to this approach because they’re more familiar with it. But I’ve seen that customers of all ages appreciate voice broadcasting, thanks to how well it conveys tone, intention and nonverbal communication.

Including voice in an omnichannel campaign helps connect with customers on different levels that your competitors likely don’t address. While most businesses in your industry hammer away with email, phone and LinkedIn, you can take your brand to the next level with a fuller range of communications, including SMS, automated voice broadcasting, campaign-specific inbound call auto attendant and a dedicated phone number.

You’ll establish your brand as a customer-first solution by meeting customers where they are and not forcing them into channels that don’t fit their preferences or needs.

What To Look For In A Voice Broadcasting Service Provider

There are plenty of options when considering voice broadcasting services. A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system can be popular, as it replaces traditional phone lines with the convenience of an internet connection. But this digital solution may introduce its share of problems, including choppy or delayed audio, voice distortion, dropped calls and voice echoes.

A primary limitation of VoIP is that it only functions with internet connectivity. When that fails, so do all of your communications. So, it’s not a valid option for emergency notifications or other situations where a breakdown would be problematic.

Some of the best voice broadcasting service providers use copper landlines, as they deliver the most exceptional sound quality and are reliable even when your internet connection is struggling. By utilizing direct lines from established carriers, you get a level of accuracy and quality that isn’t possible with VoIP.

Another voice broadcasting feature to look for is answering machine detection (AMD), which can tell the difference between humans and machines. Why does this distinction matter? It allows you to deliver unique messages depending on whether you get live answers or voicemail, and it leaves a crystal-clear message with no key presses. You can even set how many times to retry busy or unanswered calls.

The Advantages Of Efficiency

Modern voice broadcasting systems are designed to improve your team’s efficiency when communicating at scale. For example, let’s say you’re trying to reach hundreds of thousands of contacts with alerts, reminders or polls. You can set up the content and send messages within minutes with a voice broadcasting system.

These nearly instant connections continue paying dividends as people begin answering. With immediate playback, there’s no delay for the recipient. Your team member will be connected after pressing the button to transfer to a live representative. This means your representatives are brought in at the perfect moment instead of waiting for connections. These lightning-fast handoffs are critical at scale, saving you countless hours of wasted time.

Choosing A Partner You Can Trust

Voice broadcasting can have a powerful impact when included in your sales and marketing playbooks. So, the crucial decision is which platform to partner with.

Look for a voice broadcasting service that offers transparent pricing. There should be no setup fees or minimums, and you shouldn’t be charged for unsuccessful, busy or non-answered calls.

It’s also important to be backed up by world-class customer support. Your voice broadcasting service should be a true partner, elevating your team and offering the right resources whenever needed.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Navid Ashroff

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Navid Ashroff is the CTO of TrueDialog, an award-winning SMS marketing platform. He has been coding since 1984. Read Navid Ashroff’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

By Dan Pontefract.

Sometimes, leaders forget the most essential part of strategy. It’s not creating it, per se; it’s what comes next.

Your job as a leader is to improve the alignment between the organization’s current state and its intended strategy. It includes the related priorities and deadlines that affect the team members under your command.

Communication, consultation, and connection—what I refer to as the three C’s of strategy—are crucial to aligning your team members to the organization’s strategy.

The first “C” is communication. Leaders must occasionally update team members on the organization’s execution of its strategy. Communicating ensures that the strategy is understood and not ignored or misinterpreted.

However, you must also find ways to consult with them about the strategy’s success or impediments related to their specific job functions. Consult is the second “C.” This information is vital to enhancing or revising the strategy itself and acts as an important feedback loop up the chain.

Finally, another requirement is to make the strategy real. The third “C” is to connect the dots between your organization’s strategy and how it affects team members’ current tasks and roles.

Global Strategy Insights

Global research conducted for my latest book, Work-Life Bloom, suggests that leaders and organizations are in a ‘hit-and-miss’ situation regarding strategy and its effectiveness with team members.

On an aggregate basis, 69% of employees at all levels believe their organization has a clear strategy. This percentage is higher for leaders (74%) than non-leaders (59%). Unfortunately, only 47% of global employees believe their employer’s strategy helps them perform in their roles.

In other words, roughly half of employees do not positively connect their performance to their organization’s strategy.

Another pattern emerges when the data gets cut by the four predominant generations in the workforce.

Although the age difference isn’t significant, younger individuals tend to view the organization’s strategy as clear. In contrast, older team members are less likely to feel that the organization’s strategy assists them.

Specifically, 53% of Gen Z indicate that their organization’s strategy makes performing in their roles more manageable. That’s the high-water mark. Unfortunately, it begins to erode as people age.

50% of Millennials feel the same, dropping to only 44% for Gen X and 43% for Boomers.

It raises an interesting question: Does an organization desire its most senior and experienced people to become increasingly disillusioned with its strategy as they age? Similarly, don’t we want the performance of our seasoned team members to be high and, thus, intertwined with the organization’s strategy?

What can leaders do to help shift the success of their strategy? As mentioned, I call them the Three C’s of Strategy: Communicate, Consult, and Connect.

Communicate the Strategy

Communicating the strategy and objectives should not be a one-time or once-a-year tactic. Far too often, however, an organization’s strategy gets rolled out at the beginning of the operating year, never to be discussed again. Is that immersive? Will an employee deeply absorb the strategy if it’s only mentioned in passing once a year?

The answers to those questions are, of course, no.

However, if you want team members to fully understand and appreciate your strategy, you must use an immersive communication strategy. Put simply, you must find opportunities to communicate and relate the strategy as frequently as possible with your team members.

Consult on the Strategy

If we agree that a good organizational strategy acts as a guide for all team members— a path that shows everyone in the company where it’s heading, why, and by how much— would it not be a good idea to consult with those individuals who are enacting the strategy occasionally?

If leaders announce the strategy and team members execute it, it’s likely an excellent idea to intermittently check in with people to see how it is actually playing out. That action can create a strategic bond.

Implementation of the organization’s strategy relies heavily on your team members. Yet, few employees get involved in the strategic planning process.

Not only do you miss out on critical feedback that could help reshape future versions of the strategy, but it also negates the chance to reinforce any context between the employee, their performance, and the strategy.

Again, it’s perhaps another reason why two-thirds of team members not in leadership roles don’t believe their organization’s strategy makes it easier for them to perform in their roles.

Connect to the Strategy

It’s pretty simple: your role as a leader is to connect the organization’s strategy to your team members’ roles and objectives as often as it makes sense. By making this connection, you provide an essential perspective for the individual.

What good is it to a team member if an organization’s strategy only sits on a website or an annual report PDF document? It’s not.

Team members must feel the strategy is relevant to them. They have to feel connected to it.

One fool proof way to prevent that from happening is to rely on the ‘hopes and prayers’ approach. You can’t hope that the team member will make that connection. How should you connect to the strategy? There is one specific way that makes the most sense.

Your one-on-one meetings with each team member can efficiently act as the mechanism for you to connect their role to the strategy.

Not every one-on-one meeting requires this to happen, but ignoring it outright is not advised either. Moreover, it’s not a hard leadership lift.

Think about employing open-ended questions. Start a dialogue with the team member by asking how they think their role has recently contributed to the organization’s strategy. From there, you can infuse the conversation with your leadership insights on what else they are doing to help achieve the strategy. Conducting this two to three times a year for 10 to 15 minutes is all it takes.

When the three C’s of the strategy are put into action, the end result is a team member who better understands the big picture.

When team members understand and embrace your organization’s short- and long-term goals, it leads to strategic alignment. Furthermore, when they are aligned with the strategy, their performance typically improves.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Dan Pontefract.

Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Dan Pontefract is a leadership strategist and award-winning author with over two decades of experience in enhancing organizational performance and culture. Based in Canada, he has been a Forbes contributor since 2015, covering leadership, workplace culture, and employee experience. Read More

Sourced from Forbes

By Isaiah Richard

Gmail is now helping users write their email via generative AI on the web.

Google’s famed generative AI feature for Gmail called “Help me write” has been exclusive to mobile platforms for several months now, but the company is changing this in the latest update to the experience. Starting today, Google is now rolling out this experience to the web version of its Gmail platform, complete with access to shortcuts that will bring up the AI experience directly for users.

Apart from the latest generative AI features from Google, the company is also adding new tools under ‘Help me write’ for users to take advantage of in the browser experience, powered by its renowned models.

Gmail Brings ‘Help me write’ Generative AI to Web

The latest Workspace Updates by Google detailed the arrival of Gemini’s generative AI features to the web experience of Gmail, and it is taking the renowned mobile experience for users who prefer to access via browsers. One of the most iconic features of this experience is ‘Help me write,’ and it has been the famed feature of Gmail that allows users to input prompts and dictate who to address to compose emails.

Users may set the tone, emotion, and formality of how Gemini will write the email that users may choose to edit or send directly after the generative AI’s work. Users will also see the ‘Help me write’ icon appear on an empty draft to help users create their emails if they are having a hard time starting.

It was revealed by Google that ‘Help me write’ will be available to an empty email composition window but not for boxes that already have content.

Gmail’s AI Remains Exclusive to Paid Users

While Help me write is meant for empty spaces, Gmail’s Polish feature, another initially mobile-exclusive AI tool, will be the one to help write an email when users already have 12 or more words on their draft.

Web users may choose to either click on the AI prompt ‘Polish’ that will appear under an unfinished draft, or toggle it directly by pressing ‘Ctrl + H’ for Windows or ‘Option + H’ for Mac.

Gmail’s Help me write suite of tools is exclusively available to Google One AI Premium subscribers or those who choose the Gemini add-on via Workspace.

Google Mail’s Generative AI

The massive jump by Google into generative AI since last year saw significant integrations of its technology to its famed Workspace suite, but more importantly, to one of its most popular services, Gmail. That being said, Gmail saw Bard’s technology helping it deliver AI capabilities until it was replaced by the multimodal model, offering a dedicated Gemini AI button for instant access to the chatbot.

Google was among the first to introduce one of the most significant AI features found on email platforms now, offering users a way to use the technology in summarizing content so users no longer need to browse one by one. Gemini was given the capability to analyze email threads that can go on for a long run, and then offer a simplified summarization that promises to give users the important details without being dragging.

It was a significant transformation for Google since it adopted generative AI and made it its own, with its latest model powering its technology across different kinds of platforms, empowering the Workspace suite including Gmail. Now, the feature enjoyed exclusively on mobiles and apps is coming to the web experience of Gmail, with Help me write, Polish, and more offering an easier way to communicate via emails.

By Isaiah Richard

Sourced from TechTimes

By Tom Wozniak

Pop quiz. When is the best time to start building your email list? Answer: yesterday. But, unless you have a time machine, the best feasible answer is today! I would argue that almost no matter what type of business you’re in from consumer e-commerce to B2B SaaS and everything in between, there’s value in building an email program for your company—and that value compounds over time like interest on a bank account.

Hopefully, I don’t have to convince you of the value of an email list, but here’s a very short and incomplete list of reasons why building an email list makes sense for your business—no matter what industry you’re in.

• It provides a way to connect directly with your audiences (e.g., clients and prospects).

• Email is arguably the most cost-effective marketing and communications channel, so the potential ROI is extremely high.

• Performance is highly trackable, allowing you to accurately measure that potentially high ROI.

So, email seems like a pretty good arrow to add to your marketing quiver. Now, all you need to do is build that email program—potentially, from the ground up. Whether you’re starting from zero subscribers or you already have an existing email list, your goal is to keep growing that list by adding more subscribers. So, here are five tips for building your list, with a long-term view in mind.

1. Make it easy for people to sign up.

This may seem fairly obvious, but how many times have you had to search for a newsletter subscription sign-up form on a site—or randomly discovered they had a newsletter after running across the sign-up box in some less-than-obvious area? If you want to get people to sign up for your email program—and you do—then let’s agree it should be as easy as possible.

You can still include a double opt-in by immediately sending an email to have the recipient confirm their email address. But, make sure that email goes out ASAP. I’ve signed up for email programs before where the sign-up process suggested I would receive a confirmation email, but it didn’t come immediately—or, in some cases, ever. Don’t fall prey to this simple mistake.

2. Be very clear about what your email program will deliver to recipients.

When someone subscribes to your newsletter or email program, you want them to stick around for a while. The whole point is to grow your list over time. The bigger the list, the more opportunities you have to engage with your audience and drive revenue. One of the best ways to attract and keep more of those long-term subscribers is to make it clear what they’re signing up for at the outset. Do you plan on sending them a weekly newsletter that includes in-depth content and links to buy cool products? Tell them that before they sign up. Give them clear examples of what you’re going to send and how often.

This means you need to have a plan for what you’re going to send. So, make sure you’ve given thought to what you want your email program to look like long-term. It doesn’t mean you can’t change things up down the road, but have a clear vision for your existing and near-future email program that you can explain to your new sign-ups.

3. Use all your digital and real-world ‘real estate’ to drive sign-ups.

Along with making it easy to sign up, maximize your opportunities to attract new subscribers by taking advantage of every place (real or virtual) where you connect with your audiences today. That includes your website(s), social media feeds, existing email program (forwards and referrals) and real-world interactions.

One of the best sources of new subscribers is your existing email list. It’s filled with people who want to receive your content. Give them incentives for forwarding your email to their friends and getting them to sign up. Those incentives don’t have to be monetary. You could highlight subscribers who send you the most referrals in upcoming newsletters. Sometimes, people just want a little recognition. So, don’t forget to ask your current subscribers to help you grow. They’re already invested, and everyone loves sharing something interesting and valuable with their friends.

4. Look for opportunities to tap into new audiences.

Get creative with ways to introduce your content and email program to new audiences. Can you get interviewed on a relevant podcast that your audience listens to? How about having your content promoted in an existing newsletter that talks about similar topics but isn’t competitive with yours?

Some of these opportunities may involve an investment. Many newsletters will feature your content in their emails for a fee. These arrangements can sometimes be cost-effective, but do your research into any newsletter you’re going to pay to promote your content. Make sure their subscriber base lines up with your target audience, and ask for some performance data or testimonials from other companies that have worked with them in the past.

5. Deliver valuable content.

If you want to build your email list, you need to keep people around once they sign up. You want to minimize the unsubscribe rate by delivering what you promised—valuable content in your topic area. If you promised to deliver the inside scoop on your industry or recommend great deals on new products, make sure you live up to what you said you would deliver.

Although your business goal is likely to drive revenue from your email list, that’s secondary to the true mission of your email program. Revenue only comes if you consistently deliver useful, engaging content to your subscribers. So, the foundation of your email program needs to be the content you deliver. Make sure it’s relevant and valuable to your subscribers.

This is just scratching the surface of ways to create and maintain a successful email program. But if you focus on these five tips, you should effectively grow your email list over time.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Tom Wozniak

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Tom Wozniak heads up Marketing, Communications, and overall Operations as the COO for OPTIZMO Technologies. Read Tom Wozniak’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

By Vidyashree Srinivas

When using AI in the platforms, Shiprocket focuses on enhancing buyer experience and helping SMBs operate more efficiently.

Haven’t you all secretly waited to push your favourite items from the cart to “Buy now” when the festive sales bring in great deals? But here’s a thought – how much of that excitement was truly yours, and how much was subtly crafted by marketing strategies or even AI-driven algorithms?

Shiprocket, one of India’s top eCommerce enablement platforms, recently shared insights on e-commerce growth during the festive season, highlighting the role of AI-driven recommendations and social media influencers. The report revealed that in fashion and beauty categories, 84% of consumers made purchases influenced by promotions or influencer suggestions.

In an exclusive conversation with AIM, Praful Poddar, chief product officer at Shiprocket, discussed how AI has evolved in shaping purchasing decisions. He noted that while in 2010, online shopping platforms used simple logic to show “similar products”, this approach has advanced over the years.

Initially, product recommendations were generated through basic rules and Excel sheet-based logic, where items were mapped based on historical data. Today, machine learning algorithms consider multiple parameters, offering more personalised suggestions.

In recent years, machine learning has become mainstream, allowing platforms to analyse vast amounts of data in real time. Poddar explained that generative AI has further transformed the process by predicting user behaviour without the need for manually inputting parameters.

Aakash Anand, the co-founder of Unikon.ai, told AIM, “Our AI/ML-based peer-to-peer networking platform is leveraging recommendation algorithms to personalise users’ journeys on the platform. We have also integrated semantic search, which basically understands the context of the query and responds accordingly.”

What is AI for Sellers?

When it comes to using AI in the platforms, Shiprocket focuses on two main areas: enhancing the buyer experience and helping small and medium businesses (SMBs) operate more efficiently.

For buyers, Shiprocket uses data from event streams, such as browsing behaviour, filters used, and items added to carts, to create buyer personas and improve personalisation. The platform’s network effect also helps create larger buyer cohorts, enabling more targeted recommendations across its 2,000 websites.

On the buyer-facing side, the company uses AI to enhance the experience on its tracking page and MyShipRocket app, offering more personalised information than standard courier tracking services. This improves the overall user experience, making the process more tailored to individual preferences.

AI and e-commerce

In the broader e-commerce industry, AI and ML are integrated into multiple areas, enhancing both operational efficiency and customer experience. Major players have leveraged AI to optimise cross-category searches, boost impulse purchases, and improve profitability.

Wayfair, a Boston-based e-commerce company that sells furniture and home goods online is currently undergoing a generative AI makeover. The company recently partnered with Google Cloud and has been working closely with them to optimise their operations on the platform.

“What’s great about Google is the focus on AI, ML, and generative AI,” said Fiona Tan, CTO at Wayfair, in an exclusive interview with AIM.

Similarly, Lowe’s, a Fortune 50 home improvement retailer, has deployed 40-50 AI models across its platform to enhance customer experience and operations, and also built a SOTA omnichannel order management system internally.

Lowe’s was one of the first to partner with OpenAI, that is even before ChatGPT was launched. Its data and AI team successfully fine-tuned the GPT-3.5 model to improve product data accuracy, reducing friction in online searches and boosting error detection rates by up to 60%, leading to a smoother and more efficient shopping experience.

Not to forget, Amazon pioneered the use of product recommendations on its platform nearly 20 years ago, setting the stage for AI-driven shopping experiences. When you browse Amazon, you’ve probably noticed suggestions like “recommended for you”, “products you might like”, or “customers also bought”, all powered by Amazon’s sophisticated recommendation engine.

It’s one of the most effective AI strategies Amazon uses to drive sales.

Flipkart has tapped into AI in a different way, deploying advanced systems to combat fraud, especially when it comes to high-value returns, like smartphones.

Meanwhile, IKEA is using generative AI to enhance both customer experience and operational efficiency. It has an AI-powered personal design assistant for home furnishing, AI-generated seasonal advertising campaigns, and autonomous drones and robots optimising inventory and delivery systems. All this while focusing on the responsible use of AI and educating 3,000 staff members in ethical AI practices.

Target, on the other hand, has launched its generative AI chatbot, Store Companion, across 2,000 stores in the US to assist employees with process questions, coaching, and operations management. This marks the retailer as the first major player to offer generative AI tools to its service staff.

As part of a broader AI strategy, Target has developed 20 generative AI use cases, leveraging partnerships with Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, while prioritising cybersecurity and moderation services to ensure safe and scalable AI deployment for both employees and customers.

Walmart has also been harnessing generative AI to enhance the shopping experience with features like voice ordering, text-to-shop, and AI-powered event planning. It also deploys tools like “Ask Sam” to assist employees with product locations and price checks.

The company’s AI is also boosting e-commerce through cross-category searches, enhancing impulse purchases, and improving profitability. Walmart’s AI tools help display accurate product images, aid supplier negotiations, and empower employees to suggest new AI use cases, setting industry standards in efficiency, customer service, and operational innovation.

What’s Next?

Recently, Microsoft, expanding the capabilities of its Copilot platform introduced new autonomous agents that aim to enhance business processes across industries.  The new autonomous agents in Dynamics 365 are built to help organisations drive business value by automating processes like lead generation, customer service, and supplier communication.

Further, as people seek out non-human solutions to problems, even giants like Salesforce are exploring AI agents. While companies like Oracle and Salesforce are adopting AI, its impact remains mostly limited to semi-autonomous tasks in specific areas.

In an exclusive conversation with AIM, Gautam Singh, business unit head of WNS Analytics, mentioned, “In consumer-facing industries like CPG and retail, AI is transforming the way people shop, with a shift towards ordering online instead of visiting stores. This trend extends to all B2C interactions between consumers and providers.

“While consumer-facing sectors may feel the impact sooner, AI is reshaping industries behind the scenes, offering opportunities for improvement and growth across the board.”

Autonomous agents are just beginning to enter every industry. Experts predict that, in the future, customers will rely on AI agents’ recommendations for purchase decisions just as much as they do on human suggestions.

By Vidyashree Srinivas

Vidyashree is enthusiastic about investigative journalism. Now trying to explore how AI solves for all.

Sourced AIM

BY MIKE HOFMAN,

Feature Image Credit: Photography by Nathan Bajar. Socium Media founder and CEO Owen Loft at an Inc. 5000 CEO dinner in New York City in September.

BY MIKE HOFMAN

@MIKEHOFMAN

Sourced from Inc.

Sourced from 3BL

Trust dynamic not the only shift for younger generations

For years, word-of-mouth has played a critical role in the marketing success of small businesses. New data from GoDaddy suggests that recommendations from friends, family and co-workers are being replaced by influencers in terms of importance to younger consumers.

The GoDaddy survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers in September shows that while both Gen Z and Millennial customers are starting to behave differently than traditional shoppers, that doesn’t mean they are trending in the same direction.

Approximately 4 in 10 Gen Z consumers (41%) trust a product or service posted by an influencer over an ad from a business, whereas nearly 5 in 10 Millennials (46%) trust an ad from a business more.

Among both generations, when asked the likelihood of buying an item from a post on social media, posts from friends ranked low on the list.

Gen Z is more likely to buy something an influencer recommends, with friends coming in last.

• An influencer’s post (57%)
• A post from a business I follow (54%)
• An ad in my feed (49%)
• A friend’s post (40%)

Millennials are more influenced by the businesses they choose to follow, with influencers and friends holding the least weight.

• A post from a business I follow (57%)
• An ad in my feed (51%)
• A friend’s post (48%)
• An influencer’s post (44%)

“Knowing that Gen Z consumers trust social media ads more than recommendations from friends is a game-changer if this is your target audience,” said Alycia Leno, director of marketing at GoDaddy. “Insights into how each generation shops, especially on social media, will empower small businesses to rethink their strategies and using the right tools will maximize their businesses social media marketing.”

Even though Gen Z and Millennial shoppers may differ in who they trust while scrolling through feeds, they still see the value social media and social ads offer.

• Most Gen Z (55%) and Millennial (47%) consumers regularly rely on social media to discover new products every, or nearly every time.
• More than half of Gen Z (53%) and Millennial (57%) customers are served an ad that results in them taking action at least every week.
• Nearly 3 in 10 Gen Z (28%) and Millennial (32%) consumers find social media ads helpful to learn about new products and/or businesses.

These findings show that small business owners need a good grasp of their audience, or they risk wasting time and spending money unnecessarily. By understanding how each generation prefers to shop on social media, entrepreneurs can target customers more directly and see better results faster.

Entrepreneurs can lean on online tools to maximize every social media post and ad. Digital Marketing from GoDaddy leverages the intuitive features of GoDaddy Airo™ and GoDaddy Studio to create custom AI-generated content, schedule social media posts, create digital ads, access helpful analytics and more. These cost-effective tools are readily available to small businesses of any size, with any budget, to help attract new customers and increase sales.

To learn more about GoDaddy and its products, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

About GoDaddy
GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a professional website, attract customers, sell their products and services, and accept payments online and in-person. GoDaddy’s easy-to-use tools help microbusiness owners manage everything in one place and its expert guides are available to provide assistance 24/7. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com. Source: GoDaddy Inc.

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Originally published on GoDaddy