Over a third (35%) of CMOs worldwide are using generative AI to create a great brand experience, per Dentsu Creative.

Recent news of Walmart’s expansion of in-store ads, including audio and product demos, plus The Kroger Co.’s planned roll out of digital ads in the cooler aisle, has intensified the spotlight on the rise of in-store retail media. This fast-emerging segment is perhaps the most critical development in the digitization of the store, retail’s next mega-trend. Physical stores have enormous—and almost completely untapped—potential as the next major media channel, yet US retailers have been remarkably slow to adopt.

Key stat: Among US consumers ages 18 to 44, 53% prefer digital to phone when receiving help with a product- or service-related question, while just 35% of consumers ages 45 to 75 favor digital to phone, per Verint.

Michaels and Shutterstock are navigating growth through a blend of creative initiatives and hard metrics. Michaels is focused on enhancing its customer experience and its new online marketplace. Shutterstock is leaning into SEO, automated dashboards, social listening, and collaboration.

“We all want to create that aura and the air of excitement so the customer across all channels can say, ‘It is indeed my happy place we’ve got here,’” Dhriti Saha, COO of The Container Store, said at eTail Boston this week.

The initial wave of excitement over generative AI is fading, leaving many retailers asking, “Now what?” Some might want to look toward Shopify, which is incorporating generative AI capabilities across its platform to help sellers build and scale their businesses more quickly. Or maybe take a cue from eBay, which is using the tech to make more accurate and helpful product recommendations. Meanwhile, Etsy is working to democratize access to machine learning models to help speed up deployment across its organization.

The B2B social media landscape is rapidly evolving thanks to younger buyers and AI. To adapt, marketers need to lean into influencer marketing, have a multichannel approach, and embrace generative AI.

Marketers have a wealth of opportunities throughout the buyer’s journey to leverage generative AI. Here's how to use it effectively at each stage of the customer life cycle.

What is truly promising with generative AI, and when should content marketers stay human? Here’s how content marketers might use ChatGPT and other AI tools and where they should invest time and resources.

An emerging tension between retailer ads and customer experience (CX) is brewing as consumers grow more attuned to high ad loads online and in stores. Retailers’ core competency of delivering exceptional CX is now being pitted against their own retail media networks’ desire to expand their digital advertising surface area to capture high-margin revenues.

Technology is now at the center of patients’ health journeys. To improve the consumer experience, healthcare providers and marketers must gain a better understanding of how digital health tools differ across platforms and populations.

B2B marketing leaders have lost their focus on the benefits of email marketing. Email is a key distribution channel, and investments will allow relevant messages with high engagement rates and ROI to be delivered efficiently and effectively.

Providing a good customer experience (CX) isn’t just about getting positive reviews online—it’s about creating a relationship with your customer. It’s also about a better bottom line, which is harder to achieve these days as consumer spend slows.

The B2B market is facing younger buying committees, shifts in expectations about the purchase process, overcomplicated tech stacks, and uncertain economic conditions. These factors are changing how marketers can reach, engage with, and retain business customers, according to our analyst Kelsey Voss. Here are five predictions for how these factors will impact your B2B marketing next year.

Younger buying committees, demands for B2C experiences, complicated tech stacks, and economic uncertainty will require B2B marketers to adjust their strategies in 2023.

Over 80% of CX leaders plan to outsource in 2022 in some capacity, according to January 2022 research from Telus International and Pulse.

Today’s insurtech product leaders need to drive profitability with products and journeys that boost retention, simplify acquisition, and promote organic growth. And they must do so at a time when their organizations are cutting costs.

The benefits of investing in employees go far beyond reducing turnover, Patty Soltis said on a recent “Reimagining Retail” podcast episode.

Today’s insurance heads of digital are under pressure to modernize and innovate with greater speed to achieve growth of their business. Some of their significant challenges include overcoming resistance to change and a difficult recruiting market.

On today's episode, we discuss what to consider when developing a customer experience (CX) strategy, how to build a culture that prioritizes the customer, and the benefits of good CX leadership. "In Other News," we talk about customer service in the metaverse and how automakers are diverting ad dollars to customer and user experience. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Patty Soltis.