In a recent interview with Wunderkind, Molly Delp, VP of eCommerce at True Botanicals, shed light on the evolving landscape of digital marketing, particularly in the face of the imminent death of third-party cookies, AI, customer experience and data privacy. Here are the key takeaways and advice for marketers striving to stay ahead.
The Death of Third-Party Cookies: A Call to Strengthen Email and Text Channels
With the impending demise of third-party cookies, the ability to retarget customers will become increasingly challenging. Molly emphasizes the critical need for brands to leverage email and SMS channels to maintain customer engagement and drive repeat visits. She states, “If cookies were to disappear today, email and mobile capture becomes the most important functionality of our entire site. Without it, we would have no way of tracking who’s been to our site and retargeting them again.”
“If cookies were to disappear today, email and mobile capture becomes the most important functionality of our entire site. Without it, we would have no way of tracking who’s been to our site and retargeting them again.”
It’s worth noting that many ESPs offer simple email and sms acquisition tools, but generally make the same offer to every site visitor. Identity resolution partners, like Wunderkind, have far more profile and historical data on unknown traffic which allows them to personalize value exchange offers that can significantly increase your acquisition rates. She talks about this deeper in the video case study.
Consolidating Customer Profiles for a Seamless Experience
One of the most significant benefits of integrating email and SMS channels is the consolidation of customer profiles. This approach not only enhances the customer experience but also ensures more efficient communication. Molly explains, “Consolidation of profiles ends up being really critical to provide not just a seamless experience for your customer journey but also to ensure that you’re not overloading your customer with communications.”
There is also more value in having all of your customer profile data with one partner to activate across channels. Wunderkind delivered a 122% lift in text revenue immediately when onboarded. Previously , True Botanicals was using Attentive for text and was not satisfied with this single partner for that channel’s performance.
Leveraging AI for Optimized Marketing
AI solutions, such as those offered by Wunderkind, play a crucial role in optimizing marketing strategies. Molly highlights how Wunderkind’s Platform and AI investments allow her team to focus on more strategic tasks while the platform handles data-driven optimizations. She notes, “The ability for Wunderkind’s new platform to tap into this idea of what we know about the consumer and what messaging we will serve them, and then building flows related specifically to what they’re interested in, is true AI investment in the direction that it should head.”
Marketers need to understand the tools and partners that have superficial AI capabilities versus true decisioning and optimization at the core of the solution. The partners that invest in the latter are better positioned to deliver outcomes for Brands rather than simply license them tools to do work. The SaaS models of yesterday are not necessarily meeting the needs of marketers today. Dive deep with your potential partners and vendors to understand their application of AI to move your business forward.
Wunderkind’s Identity Network: Superior Consumer Data + Privacy Confidence
Wunderkind’s extensive Identity Network provides brands with more comprehensive consumer data than they could gather independently, enabling highly personalized and relevant marketing offers. Molly Delp explains, “Having an identity partner that can really help us identify what a specific consumer cares about unlocks massive growth for us.” She emphasizes that the identity graph model Wunderkind offers is irreplaceable, allowing for seamless data aggregation and analysis that far surpasses the capabilities of any single brand. This extensive network of consumer data transforms targeting into true personalization, reducing unsubscribe rates and increasing engagement.
Molly also highlights the importance of trust and privacy in managing consumer data. “Throughout the entire process, whenever we are working on new functionality with Wunderkind or just discussing the resources available, privacy is always at the center of it,” she says. This commitment to data compliance and consumer privacy ensures that brands can confidently leverage Wunderkind’s robust data capabilities. As brands navigate a cookie-less future, having a trusted partner like Wunderkind provides a crucial competitive edge, allowing them to optimize marketing efforts while maintaining the highest standards of data integrity.
Build vs Buy: Realizing the Value of Wunderkind
True Botanicals initially experimented with an in-house solution for their digital marketing needs, believing that closer control and quicker implementation could yield better results. Molly Delp recounts, “We went through a phase where we were really debating the build versus buy model on all of our digital marketing. We believed we could maybe get better results by doing it in-house because we would have quicker speed to market.” However, the reality of managing these efforts internally soon revealed significant gaps in performance, particularly in the areas of email capture and customer retention. Despite the initial appeal of an in-house solution, True Botanicals found that they lacked the extensive data and industry expertise that Wunderkind provided.
Upon returning to Wunderkind, True Botanicals saw a dramatic improvement in their marketing performance. Molly highlights, “When we came back to Wunderkind, we saw a 2.4 times lift on our abandonment triggered emails and a 122% lift in revenue driven by SMS.” This stark contrast in results underscored the superior value and capabilities that Wunderkind brought to the table. Molly strongly advises other brands and marketers against attempting to rebuild existing solutions, stating, “Let us save you the time. Learn from our experience. I would not recommend doing it. I would recommend just going with Wunderkind.” The significant ROI and efficiency gains that True Botanicals experienced with Wunderkind emphasize the futility of expending resources on in-house solutions when a proven, high-performing platform is readily available. It’s worth noting that Wunderkind actually drives a whopping 10% of total digital revenue for the brand.
Strategic Advice for Marketers
Based on True Botanicals’ experiences, Molly offers several strategic insights for marketers:
- Focus on First-Party Data: With the decline of third-party cookies, capturing and leveraging first-party data through email and SMS is more crucial than ever.
- Integrate Email and SMS Platforms: Consolidating these channels under a single platform like Wunderkind can lead to more efficient and personalized marketing efforts.
- Utilize AI for Efficiency: Invest in AI solutions to automate data-driven tasks, allowing your team to focus on strategic planning and creative efforts.
- Partner with Experts: Leveraging the expertise and data capabilities of platforms like Wunderkind can significantly enhance marketing performance and ROI.
The Future of eCommerce Marketing
As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, brands must adapt to new challenges and opportunities. True Botanicals’ partnership with Wunderkind exemplifies how leveraging advanced technology and strategic partnerships can lead to substantial growth and improved customer experiences. By focusing on email and SMS channels, integrating customer profiles, and utilizing AI, brands can navigate the future of eCommerce with confidence and success.
In conclusion, Molly Delp’s insights provide a valuable roadmap for marketers looking to optimize their strategies in a cookie-less world. By embracing first-party data, consolidating communication channels, and leveraging AI, brands can ensure sustained growth and customer engagement.
Watch the whole True Botanicals story now.