As an increasing number of consumers demand a more digital-friendly shopping environment, Adobe is updating its cloud offerings in a bid to help retailers keep pace.
Adobe Systems Inc., which says that eight of the world’s 10 largest retailers rely on its Marketing Cloud suite, has become the latest company to issue a prominent update for its signature retail products, unveiling a series of enhancements Jan. 19 that will allow retailers to use Marketing Cloud to send more personalized, visual, data-driven, and automated messages to consumers, smartly echoing the experience that many have become used to online.
“It’s more imperative than ever that retailers build a personalized and compelling digital experience that is continuous and connected, to drive sales and build loyalty,” Michael Klein, director of industry strategy for the Adobe Marketing Cloud, wrote in a Jan. 19 blog post. “Consumers have come to expect a consistent and engaging experience with brands at any given touchpoint – from browsing a website, to interacting with a mobile app, to engaging in store.”
One improvement, which Adobe calls “data-driven remarketing,” monitors data captured using the company’s Analytics software, then sends automated push messages when appropriate through Adobe Campaign or the company’s Mobile Core Service, Klein wrote.
For example, if a potential customer views Chuck Taylor high-tops for several minutes or watches a video about the sneakers online, a department store using Marketing Cloud can automatically send the customer a coupon highlighting the item and offering a discount.
Or if Adobe’s contextual data recognizes that a particularly severe winter storm is coming, a hardware store can use Campaign to send push notifications letting consumers know about deals on portable generators.
The updated program also allows retailers to divide their customers into segments and engage with them based on factors such as shopping behaviour, Klein wrote. For instance, a clothing store could track the number of shoppers who have purchased gloves, identify that a significant number of glove-buyers also purchased scarves, then automatically send a scarf promotion to any gloved customers who haven’t purchased a scarf yet.
Another notable enhancement highlighted by Klein adds screens to the tools retailers can use to personalize a customer’s visit, with Adobe’s Experience Manager allowing sales associates to easily transfer the products customers were checking out at home or on their mobile devices to larger screens in-store, the physical and online shopping experiences complementing each other in a way that benefits both sides.
