The last 12 months have been a wild ride for the retail sector, to say the least. With so much going on and new ways of working to consider, it would be easy to get distracted from your responsibility to sustainability. However, retail remains one of the biggest producers plastic waste in the UK, with over 900,000 tonnes of plastic a year generated by this sector alone. So, what can be done?

Metrics can’t always give you the full story of the time and effort you put into your marketing efforts. Measuring return on investment (ROI) is the only way to know for sure if you’re using your budget effectively and getting the most out of your marketing spend. 

How did your last campaign go? When I ask this question, I want to know if your marketing is generating business in a profitable way. To figure out something's profitability, many marketers look at that all-important return on investment (ROI).

The ultimate goal of building brand loyalty is to form nurtured, meaningful relationships that are capable of withstanding the test of time.

56% of customers say they’re loyal to brands who ‘get them’. Brand loyalty is established when you create an emotionally-driven connection between your brand and the customer. By offering additional benefits and unexpected perks, you can improve customers’ experience and get them talking - taking the relationship from transactions to advocacy.

With so many ways to define it, we can understand why digital engagement feels like such an ambiguous term. However, at its core, each definition shares one thing in common: digital and customer engagement is all about interactions between the customer and your brand. 

We live in an increasingly digital world where customers expect brands to anticipate and meet their needs in real-time. A Walker study found that by the end of 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. When executed well, a strong customer engagement strategy fosters brand growth and loyalty.

When it comes to setting and tracking your marketing KPIs, you’re probably fully aware of the usual suspects. However, by tracking the right ones, your brand is less likely to report on and make decisions based on misleading information.

As competition amongst brands intensifies, companies have to innovate and differentiate themselves by delivering customer-centric campaigns that keep people coming back for more. Delivering a standout customer experience is all about creating an emotional connection between brand and customer.