This week in martech
News from SundaySky, Messagegears, Mailchimp and Zendesk.
SundaySky rolls out personalized video platform for retailers
Digital marketers looking to enhance their use of video can now add a new configurable video product as an option. SundaySky, an experience-driven video platform, has introduced industry-specific templates for retailers to quickly modify video elements without any additional costs.
The new video configuration is targeted specifically at direct-to-consumer brands, including grocers and retailers. Expectations are that the customized video content will increase sales and ROI for both in-store and online experiences.
Why we care. Individually customized videos may not yet be common currency, but eventually consumers will likely expect them. This is a trend to be aware of, and plan for.
MessageGears and Sageflo integrate to combat data friction
Campaign management software company Sageflo has announced an integration with cross-channel messaging company MessageGears to help distributed marketing teams overcome data friction.
“Data friction” is the term used for a major lag in synchronization between a marketer’s internal data systems and email service provider; hindering the sending of timely messages to consumers. MessageGears links directly to internal data sources, obviating the need to replicate and store data in a marketing cloud. Sageflo’s Radiate product, now integrated with MessageGears software, provides distributed teams (multiple brands and franchises, internal external marketing resources) with tools to build and launch emails and text messages.
A quick-serve restaurant based in North America with over 700 locations is the partnership’s first joint customer.
Why we care. Distributed teams and unnecessarily complex data routing shouldn’t lead to tardy messaging, especially when consumers are waiting impatiently to be met in the right channel with the message that’s right for the moment.
Mailchimp & Co launches
Mailchimp, the marketing platform dedicated to small and growing businesses, has announced the launch of Mailchimp & Co, a community of more than 35,000 individual freelance practitioners and agencies. Providing impetus was the recognition that over 40% of service providers within the Mailchimp ecosystem are freelancers. What’s more, over a third of Mailchimp customers outsourced work to a freelancer or agency within the past year.
The community will serve as a resource for small businesses to find trusted partners who will help them grow. Freelancers and agencies within the community will have access to Mailchimp training and resources. The community offers event boards where freelancers and agency representatives can meet and engage with their peers, expand their competences, and earn rewards.
Why we care. This looks like an imaginative way of meeting the needs of both customers and practitioners.
CX maturity can lead to business success
A new report released by the Enterprise Strategy Group, in partnership with Zendesk, matched CX criteria against business outcomes, finding that small businesses were likely to have grown customer spend — even during the pandemic — if they scored highly on CX-related capabilities. (The score was established through surveys of over 1,000 companies.)
Comparing businesses with six or more key capabilities with place against those with three or less, the report found 9.2 times the likelihood of significant growth in customer spend, and 3.6 times the likelihood of growing customer base among small businesses. However, less than half (47%) of small businesses have moved beyond the lowest level of CX maturity.
Why we care. CX, rather than product, service and price, is where businesses can compete. The experience extends from brand awareness and top-of-funnel messaging, right through to post-sale service. Small businesses can benefit even more than the enterprise, this report suggests, but may be lagging in ability to invest in CX.
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