Martech Edge Interview with Noel Hamill, Global Chief Marketing Officer, parcelLab

How have you utilized your professional experience in operating major consumer brands to drive growth in rapidly changing industries?

To drive growth in rapidly changing industries, it is important to understand that marketing doesn’t exist in a silo. To be successful, you need to work closely with sales, product development, partner teams, etc. to ensure that your marketing messages are aligned and that you are working towards the same goals.

Additionally, when I enter a new role, I assess what has and hasn’t worked in the past. From there, we figure out what priorities are important for growth, and I share my experience of what has worked well in my previous roles. For example, one idea I have suggested is for my team to reach out to industry influencers and partners to participate in podcasts or webinars. This is an effort that can expand your reach and get your organization’s name out to a wider audience.

Lastly, it is important to encourage your team to experiment with new ideas and approaches that haven’t been tried before.  Don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things. After all, you never know what may catch your audience’s attention.

Can you explain the correlation between personalization and post-purchase experience? What advantages does this partnership have?

It is easier and cheaper to convert repeat customers than to bring in new customers. To ensure each customer has a positive post-purchase experience, retailers need to personalize their customer journeys based on the information the customer has given them. Understanding customer’s previous shopping behavior or preferences will allow brands to craft a tailored shopping experience.

For unique customer journeys, retailers should insert things like personalized product recommendations, marketing promotions, how-to videos, and loyalty program banners into tracking pages and email communications. By providing this personalized experience, retailers can decrease customer inquiries by keeping customers proactively informed and improve conversion rates since the communications are tailored to their preferences.

At parcelLab, retailers are empowered to deliver personalized communications, order status pages, and returns experiences. One example is our campaign manager product which allows retailers to easily build customer segments and create personalized, visual campaigns for any audience. It includes the ability to insert content into email notifications and order status pages, enabling retailers to boost customer lifetime value, increase conversions, and reduce “Where is my order” (WISMO) inquiries.

In what ways do you believe aligning advertising efforts with shopper intent helps CX? How do you measure the effectiveness of such alignment in driving sales and fostering long-term customer loyalty?

When organizations align advertising efforts with shopper intent, the customer experience is improved due to the ability to:

• Display ads for the products and services they are most interested in.
• Promote information customers need to progress their journey down the purchasing funnel.
• Personalize ads, messages, and recommendations that cater to individual customer needs and preferences.

There are a few ways organizations can measure the effectiveness. For driving sales, organizations can view click-through rates, conversion rates, return on ad spend, time spent on your site, and page views per session. For long term loyalty metrics, organizations should look at repeat purchase rates and customer lifetime value. By tracking these metrics, you can determine whether your advertising methods are working well or if there is room for improvement.

How do you see the evolving landscape of AI tools impacting various industries, particularly in relation to MarTech?

MarTech is being quickly transformed by AI and these tools are essential for marketers to stay on top of their game and ahead of the curve. More and more organizations are adopting AI to provide deeper customer insights, automate tasks, and improve marketing performance. In the future, these tools will continue to evolve and drive wider impact on the growth of organizations in various different industries.

What lessons would you impart for a growing retailer? Additionally, what future do you see for the e-commerce industry?

For growing retailers, there are three lessons I would keep in mind are:

• Always prioritize the customer experience: Build a seamless shopping experience across all points of the customer journey, from browsing to post-purchase to returns. Consider implementing a post-purchase provider that allows you to embed your tracking page on your own website so you can provide a consistent experience from end-to-end and ensure the provider has segmentation capabilities that allow you to personalize each customer journey.
• Embrace data-driven decisions: Leverage analytics to understand your customer base, identify trends, and optimize your marketing efforts. Make sure to track key performance indicators to measure success and make informed decisions about your product offerings, marketing strategies, and resource allocation.
• Think beyond borders: Consider what expanding your business looks like. International fulfillment has a lot of complexities, and your business will need to factor in communicating in different languages. From the post-purchase side, make sure you are partnering with a provider that can help you navigate these challenges and ensure a smooth delivery experience for global customers.

As for the future of e-commerce, it is constantly evolving with exciting trends shaping the future:

• Personalization at Scale: Consumers crave personalized experiences. E-commerce will see a rise in AI-powered personalization, offering tailored product recommendations, targeted marketing messages, and dynamic content that caters to individual customer preferences.
• The Rise of Social Commerce: Social media platforms are becoming increasingly shoppable. Expect to see even deeper integration between social media and e-commerce, allowing customers to discover products, make purchases, and receive customer service – all within their favorite social media apps.
• Sustainability Takes Center Stage: Today's consumers are environmentally conscious. E-commerce will prioritize sustainable practices like eco-friendly packaging, carbon-neutral shipping options, and transparent supply chains.
• Emerging Technologies Take Hold: Technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will transform the online shopping experience. Imagine virtually trying on clothes or viewing furniture in your own living room before making a purchase!

By staying informed about these trends and adapting your strategy accordingly, e-commerce businesses will be positioned for long-term success. Remember, the focus on exceptional customer experience and leveraging data-driven insights remain constant, regardless of the future innovations to come.