The recent eTail West Conference was much more than just a physical meeting point for thousands of retailers across different sectors and industries. With many thought leaders and emerging e-commerce entrepreneurs in the crowd, some of the most interesting takeaways were conversations surrounding trends in the realm of content personalization and its future impact on ROI.
An e-commerce merchant is constantly engaged in spotting the triggers involved in closing a sale. However, often or not, some of the most revealing data comes from identifying those pain points that deter shoppers from completing an online purchase.
E-Commerce has grown out of its diapers. In what is still considered a relatively new field, one largely dominated by major players of the 1990s, namely Ebay and Amazon, these powerhouses have now found themselves in a new, fast-growing marketplace. These and other companies, including India’s Flipkart and Snapdeal, understand the need for looking for ways to incorporate [cloud-based e-commerce](http://www.leadcommerce.com/blog/the-benefits-of-cloud-based-ecommerce-software-solutions.html) services to help facilitate more effective relationships between merchants and customers. The numbers themselves don’t lie – In 2014 alone, [“Over $3.1 billion was pumped into 46 deals in the ecommerce space…”](http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-01-05/news/57705506_1_ankit-khanna-flipkart-and-snapdeal-doozton). This staggering amount suggests that 2015 is on target to become a lucrative period for many companies and startups operating within this industry.
The relationship between merchant and buyer has evolved into a more complex and dynamic exchange, more specifically one that requires sellers to adopt behavior-driven targeting strategies to maximize conversion rates.
For those who are new to the concept, [real-time marketing](http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Real-Time-Marketing-About-More-than-Social/1010722) is the process of engaging an audience with content and advertising using relevant events or offers that are specifically targeted and personalized for the prospect or client’s current profile and needs. It is becoming one of the most utilized strategies for retailers, and for good reason.
Real-time data and marketing are revolutionizing the way businesses market to customers and prospects. Now at the end of about 50 years of evolution in commerce, we’ve witnessed the obsolescence of a global industry that has grown accustomed to intrusive push marketing via expensive television and radio ads, marquees and static billboards. The specific needs and behaviors of the consumer are what drives successful marketing. Marketing campaigns are shifting towards opt-in formats versus intrusive ads and with greater focus on aligning offers with behaviors, demographics and other consumer characteristics. The more retailers know about their customers and prospects the better they are at selling products that people want. Intelligence is driving the marketing push and is yielding stronger results.
eCommerce merchants put a lot of time, money, and effort into driving traffic to their online storefronts. This traffic comes from channels like organic search, AdWords, social media, and email newsletters, to name a few. Another widely used strategy to drive relevant traffic is to buy ad space on an affiliate publisher’s site. But, like any other marketing initiative, how do you make sure you get the most bang for your buck when purchasing affiliate network traffic?