SurveyMonkey, the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, recently announced Connect, a library of no-code quick actions to connect survey data with popular business apps. We connected with Liwen Xu, Product Marketing Manager, to discuss how no-code automation facilitates seamless data integration, enabling businesses to enhance customer feedback processes, overcome adoption challenges, and implement agile strategies.

1. How does no-code automation empower businesses to streamline data integration without relying on technical teams ?

No-code automation allows non-technical users to easily set up and configure simple workflows. Called Quick Actions, these workflows support core use cases such as sending a notification in Slack when you get a specific response, like a support request, updating Excel when a new response is received so you can stay up to date on registrations, or sharing feedback across your organization in the tools you use every day.

With Connect, anyone can search through the SurveyMonkey library of business app integrations and automate quick actions based on their survey results before their responses start rolling in. As a natural step of the survey creation flow, Connect allows users to easily automate survey-based actions (such as sending notifications) seamlessly while designing and sending out a survey. It also enables users to set conditions for each Quick Action so they can determine which feedback needs follow-up actions or what outcomes are next. This removes the complexity of multi-tool traditional integrations so that they can quickly and seamlessly get value out of their feedback.

2. What are the key advantages of seamless data integration for improving customer feedback loops ?

Connect is the easiest way to link SurveyMonkey with the business apps you use every day so that you can amplify the impact of survey responses and save time. These new apps make it easy to automatically send the right survey responses to the right people in real time, and you can set them up without leaving SurveyMonkey.

By setting up Quick Actions, you can set conditions so that you can focus different teams/stakeholders on the specific feedback that is most relevant to them and take action immediately. This not only reduces the risk of missing critical feedback that needs to be actioned on, but also keeps teams informed in real time so they can have a full view of the feedback provided. By feeding important feedback to those responsible, users are empowered to close the feedback loop quickly, driving higher satisfaction rates for your customers and employees. 

3. What are the biggest barriers companies face in adopting no-code tools, and how can they overcome them ?

Users are often wary to try an integration as many feel it will be too complicated and technical to set up. They can also be wary that the integration may not do what they expect if they take the time to set it up or are required to upgrade their plans to use it. 

When it comes to organizations, the default is to not allow employees to use an integration due to security concerns or not wanting to add additional burden on IT to support any issues that may arise. Employees could be gated when trying an app or integration even if it offers an opportunity to automate critical business processes, reduce errors, or save employees time.

To overcome these barriers, organizations need to reduce the barriers to adoption so their employees can take advantage of all the benefits offered. SurveyMonkey has focused on simplifying the setup, usage, and user flows so that employees will not require reliance on IT for support. We’ve ensured the scopes required for each app are the lowest available so that organizational security concerns are minimized. 

SurveyMonkey has also integrated Connect apps into the survey creation flow, driving awareness and making it easier for users to see opportunities to automate tasks based on feedback. Our goal is to allow more customers from Basic (free) to Teams/SME to have access to Connect apps so they can get value with most common tasks and upgrade for more advanced features.

4. How does SurveyMonkey Connect help organizations bridge the gap between survey data and enterprise systems ?  

Customers are dealing with disparate and disconnected solutions that house a variety of data related to their employees and customers, making it harder to collaborate, drive deeper insights, and "connect the dots" for better employee and customer experiences. Disparate solutions often mean tasks to move data or launch workflows are manual, time-consuming, and error prone - reducing efficiencies and effectiveness. Integrating survey data into frequented business tools by the team brings siloed systems together.

Connect provides users a native, easy-to-use set of Quick Actions that support the most critical use cases and third-party solutions that organizations use most. For example, it can be used to notify users of any feedback that needs to be actioned or shared. This can be done across multiple channels. Users can filter out irrelevant responses and define which response details are included in the message. We also know not all employees are SurveyMonkey users, but there is a need to access and analyze data in the solutions of their choice. Connect offers a flexible solution that allows anyone to determine which data to share so that any security or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) concerns are reduced. 

There are additional features to support marketing/email automation platforms, in addition to CRM platforms such as Klaviyo and Zendesk, that are coming soon. Stay tuned for more! 

5. What industries stand to benefit the most from no-code task automation, and why ? 

Any organization or employee who wants to take action on feedback as it is received or automate a manual process stands to benefit from Connect. From small organizations that may not have the same level of technical skills as a larger organization, to a larger organization that deals with a lot of feedback that needs to take action quickly and easily, any user that wants to collaborate with stakeholders on feedback being received and who are not in SurveyMonkey can no-code task automation. Additionally, any small business that wants a single source of truth for event registration, product feedback, and beyond can also benefit. The opportunities are unlimited!

6. How can businesses leverage real-time survey data to drive more agile marketing and customer experience strategies ?

There are many great examples! Marketers can easily automate sharing survey and form results with internal teams via collaborative notification tools like Slack, from event suggestions to new product ideas and more. With Excel exporting, analysis and detailed data-driven presentations for new launches, campaigns, and events can be leveraged. Connect eliminates the need to do a manual export/import of contact data and ensures survey data immediately enriches marketing efforts.

CX leaders can automate surfacing information so that customer-facing support and employees can be notified instantly on Slack or Teams and take action, whether that’s resolving complaints or walking through product questions. This closed-loop feedback approach empowers users to respond in real-time to customer input, which can dramatically improve customer experience (such as reaching out immediately to unhappy customers to prevent churn), or a positive response might trigger an upsell offer or referral request. Connect can help drive higher levels of customer satisfaction by enabling quick follow-ups to customer concerns via these instant notifications of survey responses. This reduces delays between feedback and action so that negative responses that need to be acted on don’t slip through the cracks. 

1. How does the integration of AI in in-store audio messaging compare to traditional methods in terms of efficiency and effectiveness ? 

Leveraging AI in audio messaging fundamentally transforms a complicated process into something remarkably streamlined. With traditional methods, businesses would spend days coordinating scripts, booking voice talent, and scheduling studio time — all while racing against promotion deadlines.

Our Messaging Copilot cuts this down to minutes through a simple two-step workflow. Organizations select their voice, compose their message, and they're done. The efficiency gains are dramatic, but what's truly compelling is how it democratizes professional messaging. Location managers can now create locally relevant content without specialized technical skills. This content also includes internal communications, where businesses can quickly create professional employee messages for training updates, operational changes, or motivational announcements.

The effectiveness piece is where things get interesting. Our research shows that 42% of shoppers engage with in-store audio messages, with 37% making purchases directly because of them. Beyond retail, these engagement patterns extend to all industries, especially hospitality, healthcare, and financial services where timely information delivery significantly improves customer experience. By enabling more timely, localized messaging through AI, we're helping organizations capitalize on audiences at the moment they're most receptive to messaging.

2. How does the use of AI in in-store audio messaging align with current trends in personalized marketing strategies ?

AI in audio messaging aligns perfectly with today's personalization trends by bringing the tailored experiences consumers expect online into physical spaces. Businesses can now quickly create location-specific content that addresses regional preferences, seasonal needs, and local events — something traditional mass-produced messaging simply can't achieve.

This technology enables organizations to react in real time to changing conditions, bridging a critical gap in the omnichannel experience. Whether it's a hotel promoting local events, a healthcare facility providing seasonal wellness information, or a retailer highlighting new inventory, background noise is now transformed into a strategic asset within the broader personalized marketing ecosystem.

3. How does the collaboration between AI-generated content and human voice talent enhance the quality of in-store audio messages ?

AI rapidly generates customized scripts for specific campaigns or locations, while professional human voices deliver the authenticity and emotional connection that technology alone can't replicate, creating a powerful synergy in audio messaging. 

This partnership preserves human warmth while solving the speed challenges of traditional audio production. Orgs can match different voice personalities to specific message types (e.g., energetic for promotions, softer for service announcements) and select regional accents or dialects like British English to match local demographics, resulting in audio experiences that deeply resonate with customers while maintaining brand consistency.

4. How can retailers measure the return on investment when implementing AI-driven in-store audio solutions ? 

Retailers can measure ROI using direct and indirect metrics. Direct indicators include tracking promotion-specific sales lifts, measuring conversion rates during targeted messaging campaigns, and comparing performance across locations using different audio strategies. Customer surveys can capture attribution data by asking how shoppers learned about promotions.

Efficiency gains provide another measurable return — calculating time saved in message creation and deployment compared to traditional methods directly translates to labor cost savings. The most forward-thinking retailers are also integrating audio messaging performance into their broader analytics ecosystem, connecting audio campaign timing with foot traffic patterns, dwell time, and purchase data to build a comprehensive view of audio's impact on the customer journey.

5. What advancements in natural language processing have enabled the development of AI tools like Messaging Copilot ? 

Natural language processing has transformed audio through several breakthrough technologies. Modern AI can now understand context and nuance in ways previously impossible, recognizing brand voice patterns and generating messaging that feels authentic rather than robotic. These systems have learned from millions of marketing examples to understand what language resonates with audiences, all without requiring businesses to build complex systems from scratch.

Voice technology has similarly evolved beyond robotic speech to create natural-sounding audio. Messaging Copilot's Voice Lab takes advantage of this progress by letting users adjust specific qualities like pace, emphasis, and emotional tone. Location managers can now make promotions sound enthusiastic or announcements authoritative without recording multiple versions. This technology delivers professional-quality audio in minutes rather than days, enabling timely, targeted messaging that keeps pace with rapidly changing retail environments.

6. In what ways can AI-generated scripts improve the consistency and relevance of brand messaging across multiple locations ?

AI-generated scripts significantly improve multi-location brand consistency by establishing a standardized framework while allowing for local customization. When orgs operate across diverse markets, maintaining a unified brand voice while addressing regional differences has traditionally required extensive coordination between corporate marketing and local managers. AI resolves this issue by generating content from approved brand templates that can be easily adapted for local relevance.

This approach ensures core brand elements — tone, key phrases, and language — remain consistent while enabling location-specific details like local events, regional preferences, or service offerings. Site managers can quickly modify messaging for their unique needs without straying from brand guidelines, eliminating the communication gaps and delayed approvals that often plague multi-location retail operations. The result is more nimble, relevant messaging that speaks directly to local audiences across diverse sectors while maintaining a cohesive brand experience.

SurveyMonkey, the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, recently announced it has updated SurveyMonkey for Salesforce on Salesforce AppExchange, providing customers with new ways to automate beautiful, personalized email surveys with Salesforce. We sat down with Natalie Aghdaey, Manager of Product Marketing, to discuss the key benefits of the enhanced SurveyMonkey for Salesforce integration:

1. What are the key benefits of integrating customer survey data with CRM platforms for personalization and decision-making ?

Integrating survey data with your CRM lets you automatically send personalized surveys at key customer touchpoints, push customer feedback to your CRM in real-time, and better understand customer sentiment at scale.

It’s also a big step toward creating a single source of truth for customer insights. With these Salesforce enhancements in SurveyMonkey, you can combine operational customer data with customer feedback, which paints a more complete picture of their needs and where you can take action. For example, if a customer had to contact your team multiple times to resolve an issue with a recent purchase, you would likely see that experience result in a lower CSAT or NPS score. But, you may not truly understand the drivers of that score without combining feedback data with data from your CRM on factors like where this happened in the customer journey.

2. How can organizations use automation to enhance response rates and extract actionable insights from customer feedback ?

Imagine you receive a survey several weeks after your experience with a brand. You likely don’t remember all the specifics of your interaction and are probably no longer as motivated to engage by providing feedback. Automation allows you to reach out at the right time—when the experience is still at the top of the customer's mind. This helps drive higher response rates.

Automatically bringing survey insights into your source of truth for your business gives your entire company a real-time view of how customers think and feel. It also helps you get more actionable insights by adding context to your survey responses. For example, by marrying data from your CRM with your survey data, you can identify trends in customer segments, like plan type, geography, or tenure.

3. What role does hyper-personalization play in survey engagement, and how can companies implement it effectively ?

Personalization is a main priority for CX professionals, and it’s an area where we see a disconnect between what brands believe they deliver and what consumers actually experience. In recent research from SurveyMonkey, almost 9 out of 10 CX pros say their customers’ experience is personalized, but only about 60% of consumers say they receive personalized services when interacting with companies.

When something is personalized, it becomes more relevant for the customer, which makes them more likely to engage. This extends to survey engagement in a few ways. First, you can personalize a survey by bringing in details about the respondent to streamline the survey-taking experience for them. You can also boost response rates by personalizing your emailed survey invites with information like the customer name and the context of their last interaction with you. Second, you can use data that you’re collecting from your surveys to shape segmented customer experience programs. For example, you might identify your promoters with an NPS survey, and then launch tailored upsell campaigns using that feedback.

4. How can businesses ensure that customer experience metrics like CSAT, NPS, and CES are effectively integrated into their broader customer strategy ?

As you’re setting your CX strategy, it’s important to clearly define the experience that your customers are having today, as well as the experience your brand intends to deliver. To do this, you’ll want to assess the customer experience from a variety of angles, including looking at CX metrics like CSAT, NPS, and CES at key moments. As you’re developing your strategy, get buy-in from leadership early and often. This helps ensure your strategy is aligned with your overall company goals so you’ll have the support to take action based on the feedback you receive.

Another best practice is to start with a customer journey map to understand all the customer touch points and where to ask for feedback. This allows you to holistically assess your survey touchpoints to help minimize survey fatigue by not over-surveying customers. You’ll also want to establish a governance process for measuring progress against your customer strategy, leveraging metrics like CSAT, NPS, and CES.

5. What security and reliability factors should companies consider when selecting third-party survey integrations for their CRM ?

When integrating surveys into your CRM, trust and experience are key. Trust is strengthened with strong encryption, API security, administrator controls, and role-based access. You must ensure that you’re meeting regulations like GDPR or HIPAA to keep your data safe, SOC 2 to stay compliant & following best practices in information security management (e.g., ISO 27001). It’s also critical to comply with location-based regulations and confirm where the survey platform stores data (e.g., EU, US, etc.). The best survey integrations will only enhance your customer insights, without compromising compliance or security.

6. How is the evolution of customer feedback technology shaping business strategies for retention and growth ?

If it’s not already, creating a customer-centric culture should be a major focus area for your business. When that focus is infused across your company strategies, you’ll naturally evaluate new avenues and technologies to improve customer experience.

Because technology is evolving (and improving) at a rapid pace, you need to be flexible in adapting not only to new technology but also to customer needs.

As you consider new feedback technologies, first ask yourself two simple questions:

How would this help us attract new customers?

How would this help us keep existing customers?

Starting with those two questions in mind will help you simplify your approach in deciding whether to spend time and resources on adopting that technology and if it will give you measurable ROI.

1. What is one tool you’ve found indispensable in your total experience ?

HubSpot immediately comes to mind. As someone who’s worked in B2B and SaaS for nearly two decades, having a centralized system for managing customer relationships, marketing automation, and sales pipelines is incredibly helpful. I prefer to have my reporting also in the operational everyday tools that I’m using, so this fits the bill. HubSpot is built for growth and integrates seamlessly with platforms like Shopify, QuickBooks, and even Katana Cloud Inventory, which is great.

2. How does it help streamline your work, from managing inventory to aligning marketing and operations ?

The platform brings together marketing, sales, and customer service in one ecosystem, which makes it valuable both to our team as well as Katana’s leadership. It helps us track leads and revenue, measure campaign effectiveness, and ensure that our messaging aligns with actual customer needs. For SMBs, visibility into the entire customer journey—from first touchpoint to conversion—is important. HubSpot also collaborates closely with our team at Katana  and so we know them well.

3. What sets this tool apart compared to others you’ve tried in the past ?

The flexibility. Many CRM and marketing platforms can feel clunky or require heavy customization to be useful. An SMB like Katana needs a tool designed for SMB, not enterprise software. HubSpot is built for growth and it’s intuitive. Many of our customers are thrilled by the fact that Katana can connect to their HubSpot Sales Hub in minutes with no coding required.

4. What were your expectations when you first implemented it, and how has it performed ?

Great question. I expected a solid CRM and automation tool, but what surprised me was how much more it could do. HubSpot’s reporting and segmentation capabilities make it easy to refine strategies in real-time, which I’ve found really useful, and I know a lot of Katana Cloud Inventory customers feel similarly about it.

5. Have there been any challenges or surprises, and how did you overcome them ?

The challenge with any tool is always adoption. Getting teams to actually use it to its full potential takes time. And you need to plan the process together to get buy-in. I always think it’s best for teams to start with the essentials and gradually introduce more advanced features as they get comfortable.

6. What advice would you give to other decision-makers considering this tool ?

Don’t just set it up and then forget about it. Regularly review your workflows, automation, and reporting to make sure you’re getting the most out of the system and optimize what you’re doing to meet your team’s goals. Having a full time FTE for this is an investment that pays off many times over.

7. For leaders scaling SMBs, how do you evaluate if a tool is worth the investment ?

I think it comes down to two things: saving time and driving growth. If a tool eliminates manual work, improves decision-making, or helps acquire and retain customers, it’s worth the cost and should be explored.

1. Why is LinkedIn emerging as a key platform for influencer marketing, and how can brands leverage it effectively ?

In the past 12-18 months, LinkedIn has evolved into one of the hottest video platforms for influencer marketing, especially for B2B. It really started taking hold after LinkedIn – drawing from the playbooks of apps like TikTok and Instagram – rolled out a dedicated video feed that serves up bite-sized videos that people can browse through. It also modified its algorithm to prioritize creator content, introduced new creator tools and improved analytics, making it a more appealing and effective platform for influencers, agencies and brands.

It's not hard to understand its growing appeal. LinkedIn users are professionals who are highly engaged and influential. Plus, in the throes of the pandemic, they became even more active and innovative on the platform.

With LinkedIn influencer marketing on the rise, we’re now seeing specialized agencies emerge, like Creator Authority, that focus specifically on LinkedIn campaigns. This trend is only going to grow, meaning brands that don’t get in the game risk falling behind. Marketers should start experimenting now by testing influencer partnerships, short-form video and organic engagement strategies to see what resonates. By figuring out what works and what doesn’t, brands will at least have baseline data to help them future campaigns for LinkedIn.

2. What metrics are most commonly used to measure the success of influencer campaigns, and how should brands refine their approach ?

The influencer marketing industry has come a long way in just the last few years. When we started Group RFZ in 2018, influencers were measured almost entirely by traditional digital advertising metrics, such as reach, engagement and click-through rates. Now we see marketers demanding measurement better suited to the channel and researchers have been adapting. While those standard metrics still have a place, the industry is beginning to evolve and look at more goal-aligned metrics. While these aren’t as easy to come by, I believe it’s the right way forward. We should measure what truly matters and leave little doubt as to whether a campaign achieved its specific objectives.

The first step is identifying what the campaign is trying to achieve. If the focus is around awareness, brand building or shifting perceptions, sentiment analysis and a brand lift study may be warranted. If there is a distinct call to action and the focus is e-commerce sales, creating discount codes, affiliate or custom links can close the loop. If the goal is to generate sales for a  popular product available both online and off, a sales lift study may be a good fit. Better ways to measure are out there and the space continues to evolve. But if measurement isn’t an integral part of the planning process, much like influencer selection, brands and agencies won’t be able to take advantage of them.

3. How is AI transforming influencer marketing, and what limitations still exist in its application ?

AI is revolutionizing all industries, and influencer marketing is certainly not immune to its charm. Marketers are still in the navigation process, but I’ve already seen clients successfully tapping into it to find the right influencers, develop more compelling creative briefs, and refine their strategies to improve their future campaigns.

But, while AI is doing all of these wonderful things on the brand side, I don’t see influencers using it as much for content creation, and there’s a good reason for that. Creators take pride in their originality and are concerned about plagiarism risks. More importantly, AI detracts from their authenticity and, at the end of the day, that’s what they have to hang their hat on. Without authenticity, the influencer-follower relationship becomes artificial and eventually dissolves. Despite AI making influencer marketing more efficient, scalable and measurable, it won’t be an easy-button for influencers because it simply can’t replace the personal touch and human creativity.   

4. What are the long-term sustainability concerns for virtual influencers, and how can brands mitigate potential pitfalls ?

Virtual influencers – computer-generated personalities that exist solely on social media – have gotten so advanced that they can now mimic human influencers by sharing content, engaging with followers and endorsing products. They’re a dream for brands and agencies because they give them complete brand control. There’s no risk of off-message content, public influencer controversies or countless other unpredictable instances that come with real influencers. They also bring a ton of additional advantages – they can scale infinitely, be active 24/7, and engage with different audiences across multiple platforms, time zones and languages.

Despite these benefits, virtual influencers have a major flaw that makes them unsustainable: they lack the human connection, authenticity and trust that make influencer marketing so impactful. In an industry built on relationships, an AI-generated persona simply can’t replace a genuine and relatable voice.

If brands do opt to use virtual influencers, I recommend pairing them with real influencers to maintain an element of authenticity and to complement their human storytelling. This helps address another issue, which is that followers may take exception to the fact that a brand is replacing real influencers with virtual ones and potentially threatening their livelihoods. That balance of innovation and authenticity will help ensure credibility and longer-term success.

5. What innovations in influencer marketing measurement are brands and agencies eager to see in the near future ?

From a measurement perspective, brands and agencies often ask for the Holy Grail - flawless, direct attribution and clear ROI. And while most of them understand that there is no magic wand or one-size-fits-all attribution model, they keep pushing the measurement community to get as close as possible through innovation, partnerships and experimentation. That push is something researchers should embrace, not scoff at, as it will continue to drive us forward.

One thing we have been hearing a lot of lately is that clients are eager for measurement solutions that can be reliably deployed across different channels and platforms. Brands and agencies aren’t typically putting all of their eggs in one social basket anymore, so they need something that cuts across different channels and allows them to compare and contrast performance. Finally, we see a deep curiosity from many of our clients around the influencer content itself. They are taking more of a creative back seat than they are used to, and they want to know what about the content worked, what didn’t, what messages resonated and more. They want these insights not only to pinpoint which pieces were well received, but to create more effective creative briefs and guide content strategies. 

1. How is the rise of video-first content reshaping consumer engagement and shopping behaviors in the creator economy ?

Over the past five years, the rise of video-first content has transformed consumer engagement, particularly in social commerce. The inherently engaging nature of video has made it a powerful tool for guiding consumers through the purchasing journey and building trust.

Consumers increasingly place greater trust in video over static images, as it offers a more immersive and authentic representation of products, significantly influencing their buying decisions. Recognizing this shift, creators are doubling down on video content, honing their storytelling skills to meet the growing demand for dynamic, narrative-driven social-commerce experiences.

2. What are the key advantages of integrating video into social commerce platforms for both creators and brands ?

Last year on the LTK platform, we integrated a vertical video feed into the consumer experience and saw a 73% increase in engagement. This for us underscored just how impactful video can be on purchasing decisions.

For brands and marketers, we’ve seen video content become a central pillar to how they connect with their audience, and at this point has become essential for driving revenue and engagement.

For creators, video has become the primary method for how consumers can discover new products, learn how to best use them and see social proof. From our creator marketing trend report that we released earlier this year, we saw that video is the preferred method of content for 76% of Gen Z, 72% of Millennials and 66% of the general population.

3. What factors drive audiences to engage more with video content over static posts when it comes to influencer-led shopping ?

Audiences engage more with video content because there’s more depth and context to them, making it more of an immersive experience. Seeing products in action through storytelling and real-time interaction helps build anticipation to try a product, trust and makes consumers feel overall more confident about their purchases.

4. How are video-first platforms evolving their monetization strategies for creators, and what impact does this have on the industry ?

We can’t speak for other platforms, but at LTK, we are built by a creator, for creators. Our core mission is to empower creators by helping them build businesses around what they love most—storytelling through content, sharing their favorite products, and connecting with their communities.

Over time, we’ve evolved from an app solely focused on creators sharing products they love through pictures to a video-first, central destination for all creator content—both product-driven and lifestyle-focused, a category we call upper-funnel content.

As pioneers in the creator economy, we’ve watched it evolve, and one thing remains clear: the most sustainable way for creators to build a business through content is by consistently delivering value-driven content that resonates with their audience.

5. What are the biggest hurdles brands and creators face when shifting to a video-first social commerce strategy ?

As social platforms have shifted to video first, entertainment based algorithms have proliferated, causing a dip in the social aspect of many platforms. We found in a recent national study 74% of all adults believe social media isn’t social anymore and 50% of Gen Z and Millennials are going elsewhere online to engage with the friends, creators and brands they love.

We have had significant growth in our users because of this and to help our 40M monthly users watch more relevant creator content, we’ve added the ability to find creators near them and around the world, based on their interests.  If you live in Dallas and want to see just Dallas creators you can.  If you are traveling to New York, Miami, London, Paris, or other places in the world, you can find Creators with content there based on the users interests. 

6. How does video-first content foster stronger creator-to-audience connections compared to static content ?

Video-first content builds a stronger connection between creators and their audience because it feels more real, personal, and interactive than static posts. When people can hear a creator’s voice, see their expressions, and watch how they engage with a product or topic, it creates a sense of authenticity and trust that’s hard to achieve with just images or text.

Beyond that, video allows for real-time interaction—whether through live streams, Q&As, or behind-the-scenes moments—making audiences feel like they’re part of the conversation rather than just passive viewers. Instead of simply seeing a product recommendation, they experience it, which helps build stronger relationships and deeper loyalty.

At the end of the day, video isn’t just about content—it’s about connection. It turns passive scrolling into active engagement, making audiences feel more involved, understood, and inspired.

7. What trends will define the next phase of video-first social commerce, and how can creators and brands stay ahead ?

Last year, in partnership with Northwestern University we surveyed over 185 marketing leaders and found that 93% of brands anticipate creators taking a higher percentage of budget or an increased role in marketing strategy in 2025.

Among all brands surveyed, 41% said they are investing at least half of their digital marketing budget on creators this year—a 14% increase from last year’s study.

Our recent survey also found that brands plan to expand how they leverage creator content, taking it beyond social into other mediums, including content marketing (56%), sponsorships (44%), connected TV (43%), display advertising (43%), and affiliate marketing (31%).

This signals a shift toward more integrated, creator-led marketing campaigns, extending beyond social platforms into broader digital and traditional media.

To stay ahead of this trend, brands should focus on diversifying their creator partnerships and repurposing video content across multiple channels to maximize reach and impact. Meanwhile, creators should refine their storytelling skills, experiment with new formats, and position themselves as valuable content partners beyond just social media to capitalize on the growing demand for creator-driven marketing.

1. What surprised you most about the data showing that only 23% of brands leveraged Valentine’s Day marketing ?

I am surprised by just how few brands take advantage of the holiday. It’s a no-brainer to me that brands would lean into the holiday, any holiday, to capture sales. They do it for the Super Bowl and March Madness, even if their business is not sports-related. Why would Valentine’s Day be different? This shows how differently brands think about the holiday versus how consumers do.

2. How much revenue potential are brands leaving on the table by skipping Valentine’s Day campaigns ?

While this will be specific to brands, it’s estimated that up to one-fifth of Q1 sales might be lost by not marketing around the big day. Shoppers feel they “have permission” to splurge on unnecessary purchases around holidays, leaving brands with an opportunity to increase sales and average order values of their customers around this time.  

3. Why do you think many brands still believe Valentine’s Day isn’t relevant to them, and how can they shift that mindset ?

For many marketers, Valentine’s Day is established in their minds as a day for romance. This is how it’s always been. So, when a brand sells car parts or small consumer electronics, the products don’t scream, “I love you.” Hence, they ignore it,  

This has been changing over recent years, and while it’s still a valid romance day, it’s more centered around general love and friendship. That love can now be self-love, friendship love, familial love, and even puppy love. When marketers start thinking along these lines, they’ll find a variety of holidays open up to them.  

4. Omnisend’s data shows that Valentine’s Day spending has expanded beyond traditional romantic gifts. What are some unexpected product categories seeing growth ?

Considering what I said before, it’s no surprise the Pet category sees an increase. People love their furry friends. However, the categories that surprise me most are Autos & Vehicles and Safety & Survival. These two categories are not ones you think about when it comes to romance. To me, they scream self-love. 

Of course, you may get the occasional outdoorsman or gearhead gift, double-digit increases can only be explained by people treating themselves. Other industries that might be a combination of self-gifting and gifts for others are Games, Toys & Hobbies, and Entertainment. One thing remains clear: people shop across all categories, regardless of the season.

5. Your research indicates that brands start marketing too late. What’s the ideal timeline for launching a successful Valentine’s campaign ?

I’d begin teasing roughly three weeks before, with heavy promotions roughly two weeks before. This will put the holiday and products in peoples’ minds and capture early interest. However, we see there is still an opportunity on the day itself. Remember, since people are self-gifting, treating themselves to a little something special on the actual day seems fitting.     

6. How can ecommerce brands that missed out this year prepare early for Valentine’s Day 2026 ?

It’s simple: commit to running a dedicated Valentine’s Day campaign. Having plenty of time to plan in advance allows brands to come up with something creative for their audiences. I wouldn’t worry about starting too early either. If consumers continue to seek value, being early to the game is better than being late — good value is good value. 

7. You suggest brands should market for all holidays, even those seemingly unrelated to their industry. What are some examples of brands successfully doing this ?

Talking about furry friends, the company Rocky Mountain Dog is running a Valentine’s Day campaign. One of their emails mentions, “Valentine’s Day isn’t just for humans.” This is a perfect example of a company taking full advantage of a nontraditional pet holiday. 

8. What last-minute marketing tactics can brands use to engage shoppers and drive sales in the final days before Valentine’s Day ?

In general, use urgency in your email and SMS. You can introduce the day and play into its friendly spirit. Here are a couple of ideas. 

1. Send a “Valentine’s gift” to your customers. A simple “Here’s a gift for you” email with a special discount can help you stand out and generate sales.

2. As I mentioned, think beyond couples. Not everyone is celebrating romance, but many are treating themselves, their pets, and their friends. To widen your audience, promote self-care, Galentine’s Day, or pet-focused gifts.

3. Offer instant gift options. For those who procrastinate, gift cards, e-gifts, and same-day pickup options make last-minute purchases easy. Promoting these alternatives can capture late-stage buyers who might otherwise skip the holiday.

4. Use urgency to generate last-minute sales. Remind customers that time is running out for Valentine’s gifts, whether for partners, friends, or themselves. Limited-time offers and “last chance” messaging are strong purchase incentives.

9. Beyond email, what other marketing channels (e.g., SMS, social media) are most effective for Valentine’s Day campaigns ?

All channels work well when done well. Social media is a nice option for those who have romance-related items to promote. The bold colors and easily identifiable content are easy to spot and stand out as users scroll. 

SMS works well across all product categories and at all times, especially closer to the holiday. However, SMS can easily be used in behavior-based automation, meaning brands can automatically retarget shoppers with text messages at high-intent stages of their journeys. Brands can even combine their email and SMS automations, creating a relevant, multi-channel consumer experience.

10. How do economic factors influence holiday marketing trends, and what strategies should brands adopt to remain competitive ?

We’d be naive to think they don’t, but this can be both a detriment and an advantage. When economic factors are challenging, and I would say now they are, consumers seek value. Value can mean product quality, price, customer service, or anything else that makes them feel confident in a brand and its products. 

Brands that run sales during the holiday period can appeal to consumers’ desire to find value. They can also create product bundles that help increase the average order value while making shoppers feel like they are getting more for less. For instance, think of a brand running a three-product bundle featuring one gift for them, one for you, and one for your pet — it’s a trifecta of love.

1. What factors should companies consider when adopting technology to improve team management?

The main objective is to increase sales and marketing effectiveness.  This means that the technology should flawlessly aid the business in identifying and targeting the right teams –and individuals within teams – that are most likely to promote the firm’s products.   When adopting technology to enhance team management, companies should focus on three key areas: data accuracy, data granularity, and integration capabilities.

• Data accuracy - it’s imperative that the contact information related to the team and individuals within the team be up-to-date an accurate.  Your solution must not only provide accurate contact information for the team, but also you need to be able to track individuals within teams.  Does the technology track tracks Advisors who are on multiple teams and follows advisors who move between teams and firms. 
• Data granularity - Another challenge some firm’s face is related to data granularity or what level information is the technology providing.  Does the technology allow you to see contact information for all team members including title/roles, areas of focus, social media links, etc., and even certain information on non-advisor Team members.
• Integration capabilities - the technology’s integration capabilities is another important consideration.  Is the Team information stand-alone or is it easy for the technology to integrate with a distribution reporting solution or to send to other systems like the firm’s CRM solution or a data analytics database.  One huge benefit of a technology that has the capability of integrating the Advisor Team data – and individual members of the Teams – with a sales reporting or CRM system is that you can see the sales and assets for both Team and the individuals that make up the team.

A solution like TeamIQ, developed by SFS and AccuPoint, ensures that firms have access to comprehensive, real-time advisor team structures, which is crucial for sales and relationship management. Additionally, companies should ensure that the platform integrates with their CRM and sales reporting systems—like MARS—so that team intelligence seamlessly supports their existing workflows. Finally, ease of use and adoption by sales and marketing teams is critical. A tool may have the best data, but if teams aren’t using it effectively, it won’t drive results.

2. What are the benefits of integrating team intelligence tools with existing workflow systems?

Integrating team intelligence tools with existing systems—such as sales reporting platforms, CRMs, and business intelligence tools—creates an enterprise view of the information and a single source of truth for sales and distribution teams. In can wreak havoc with a firm if the Sales and Marketing teams don’t trust the Advisor Team data – or if there’s a discrepancy between the Advisor Team data in their CRM system versus their Reporting system and they don’t know which set of Advisor Team data to trust. With TeamIQ, firms gain deeper insight into advisor team relationships, key decision-makers, and team structures, allowing for more targeted outreach. This integration leads to:

• More precise territory management by identifying high-value teams.
• Stronger sales and marketing alignment, ensuring reps engage with the right teams, not just individual advisors.
• Enhanced client relationships by understanding the full team dynamic rather than treating advisors in isolation.
• Increased operational efficiency, reducing the time spent manually compiling team data from multiple sources.

3. What are the key challenges in implementing team intelligence solutions, and how can they be addressed?

The biggest challenges in adopting team intelligence solutions include:

1. Data Accuracy & Maintenance – Advisor Teams and the individuals within Teams can change frequently, and outdated data can lead to missed opportunities. TeamIQ solves this by leveraging AccuPoint’s continuously updated data, ensuring firms always have the most reliable team structures.
2. System Integration – Many firms rely on multiple disconnected tools, making implementation challenging. To address this, TeamIQ is designed for seamless integration with platforms like MARS, Salesforce^®,  and Advisor Track CRM, reducing friction.
3. User Adoption – If sales and marketing teams don’t use the data effectively, the impact is lost. Training and demonstrating value through real-world use cases can drive adoption. For example, showing how advisor team insights lead to better-targeted sales efforts can encourage usage.

4. How can companies measure the impact of intelligence-driven platforms on team productivity?

To measure the impact of intelligence-driven platforms like TeamIQ, companies should track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as:

• Increase in sales conversion rates – Are sales teams closing more deals due to better-targeted outreach?
• Reduction in research time – How much time is saved by having accurate, structured team data readily available?
• Improved account penetration – Are reps successfully expanding relationships within advisor teams rather than treating advisors as standalone contacts?
• Pipeline growth – Are teams identifying new opportunities through enhanced visibility into advisor group structures?

By analyzing these metrics, firms can quantify the ROI of team intelligence solutions and refine their strategies accordingly.

5. How does real-time team intelligence contribute to business growth and efficiency?

Real-time team intelligence eliminates blind spots in sales and marketing efforts, allowing firms to:

• Engage the full buying team instead of just one advisor, increasing wallet share.
• Prioritize high-value relationships by identifying the most influential decision-makers.
• Reduce inefficiencies by removing the guesswork in sales outreach, ensuring reps focus on the right prospects.
• Enhance collaboration across teams, ensuring marketing, sales, and leadership are aligned on relationship strategies.

With TeamIQ, firms gain real-time, structured visibility into advisor teams, which enables more personalized and effective engagement, ultimately driving higher sales growth and operational efficiency.

6. What future trends are shaping the evolution of AI-powered team intelligence solutions?

Several trends are driving the evolution of AI-powered team intelligence:

1. Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning – AI will go beyond organizing team data to predict advisor behaviors, helping firms proactively target the most promising opportunities.
2. Deeper CRM & Sales Intelligence Integration – Solutions like TeamIQ will become embedded within CRM workflows, automatically surfacing team insights where sales teams need them most.
3. Enhanced Automation – AI-driven tools will continuously refresh advisor team structures without manual intervention, ensuring up-to-date intelligence.
4. Personalized Sales Recommendations – AI will suggest who to contact next, what messaging to use, and which teams to prioritize, optimizing sales efforts.
5. Expansion into Alternative Investment Markets – As interval funds, private funds, and other alternative investment vehicles grow, intelligence tools will adapt to serve these markets effectively.

Final Thoughts:

TeamIQ represents the next evolution in sales intelligence, offering firms a complete picture of advisor teams in real-time. By integrating with systems like MARS, Advisor Track CRM, and other sales platforms, TeamIQ empowers sales teams to engage more effectively, increase conversions, and drive revenue growth. Companies that leverage real-time, structured team intelligence will gain a significant competitive edge in an increasingly data-driven sales landscape.