1. What measures are in place to ensure that voice-of-customer data from various channels (e.g., reviews, social media, surveys) is effectively utilized to inform business decisions?

Brands today are inundated with Voice of Customer data from every direction. To turn this chaos into clarity, data quality must come first. It is the foundation, the building blocks, that drive informed decisions across every industry. At our core, we are focused on delivering the highest-quality insights to brands.

We started with review data, a post-purchase source making it highly credible but often challenged by duplication due to syndication. Once we perfected that, expanding our AI engine to handle social media and survey data was a natural next step.

Revuze does not stop at analysis. Our AI goes further by offering data-backed recommendations and activities that help brands move confidently from insight to action.

2. What technologies are currently employed to process and analyze large volumes of unstructured consumer feedback, and how do they integrate with your existing systems? 

Since 2011, Revuze has been investing and optimizing its own proprietary Generative AI and LLMs, well before ChatGPT took the spotlight. Over the years, we've focused on refining and optimizing our large language models to deliver unmatched precision in analyzing VoC data.

Our GenAI engine detects tone and context with remarkable accuracy. Take battery life, for example. It's important across many industries, but context matters. A one-hour battery life is unacceptable for a smartphone, yet impressive for a drone. Our AI is trained to understand these nuances based on the product category, ensuring insights are both relevant and accurate to support brands’ decision-making.

This deep expertise powers best-in-class topic extraction and sentiment analysis across more than 1,500 product categories. In addition, Revuze integrates advanced "off-the-shelf" LLMs, such as Anthropic’s Sonnet, for specific tasks like generating review summaries, further enhancing our platform's capabilities.

3. In what ways are you streamlining cross-functional collaboration between departments (e.g., marketing, product development, customer service) to act on AI-driven recommendations?

One of the core challenges many companies face is siloed data, where different teams rely on separate sources. This often results in inconsistent insights and misaligned decisions. ActionHub addresses this by bringing all teams together, marketing, product, eCommerce, and consumer insights, on a shared foundation. While each team has a customized hub tailored to their needs, everyone works from the same unified data set. This includes review and rating data, social media, and survey responses, all accessible in one place.

The platform combines quantitative and qualitative data in a visual format, making it easier to uncover not just what consumers are saying, but why they are saying it. Regardless of role, users can explore the drivers behind consumer behavior in a way that is both intuitive and consistent.

To encourage collaboration, we have developed cross-functional use cases that help teams align on opportunities and next steps. For instance, product teams can use insights from the ProductHub to identify purchase motivators and align them with product strengths, guiding marketing on which messages are most likely to resonate. Similarly, marketing can collaborate with eCommerce teams to refine product detail page (PDP) content based on consumer feedback, improving online performance.

We have also prioritized integration with enterprise tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Claude. This allows organizations to combine VoC insights with internal sales data, enabling a more holistic view of the customer and supporting advanced querying.

4. How does your organization track and analyze the effectiveness of AI-generated insights in improving product features, marketing campaigns, and eCommerce performance?

At the core of the Revuze platform is a recommendation engine powered by proprietary large language models, which is also supported by external LLMs for tasks such as summarization and validation. The system is designed to turn VoC data into practical, tailored recommendations across a wide range of use cases.

In the MarketingHub, this includes support for content creation, whether it’s creating social media posts that resonate, enriching product detail pages, or creating influencer kits and data-backed video scripts - all based on the VoC data. On the product side, the ProductHub offers data-driven suggestions, ranging from addressing specific product pain points to effective innovation planning.

A key focus of the platform is helping teams explore new ideas. For example, product managers can begin with addressing unmet needs that are based on consumer review data, and the AI engine surfaces relevant trends from social media, drawing inspiration from entirely different industries. A concept in footwear might emerge from patterns identified in automotive or electronics. The data sets are being used in different ways, ways that always leverage their strengths.

These examples illustrate how the platform is built to support cross-functional teams in turning consumer feedback into actionable insights and creative exploration.

5. How is your organization preparing for emerging trends in consumer behavior analysis, such as the use of large language models (LLMs) and advanced AI in deriving insights?

Our organization is closely engaged in the advancement of AI and LLMs, with a focus on how they enhance consumer behavior analysis. We see LLMs as tools that complement traditional research methods by automating tasks like sentiment analysis, theme detection, and text summarization. This speeds up the research process and allows teams to access deeper insights with agility.

We use a combination of proprietary and third-party models, applying each where it adds the most value. Internal models help with contextual understanding in specific product categories, while external models support tasks like content summarization.

Our approach remains flexible and research-driven, allowing us to adapt quickly to new technologies while maintaining accuracy, relevance, and responsible AI use. As consumer data sources evolve, we are committed to evolving with them to support timely, data-informed decision-making.

6. How are you ensuring that your approach to consumer insights remains adaptable to evolving technologies and competitive pressures?

We stay informed about technological developments and evolving industry trends, continuously exploring new tools and methodologies. By maintaining an open and collaborative approach with partners and actively testing emerging technologies, we strive to remain adaptable to a wide range of research needs.

Our platform is designed to support both quantitative and qualitative data analysis and to accommodate various research approaches and needs. This flexibility allows us to work effectively with organizations across different sectors, helping them access and interpret the insights most relevant to their goals.

1. What are the biggest challenges in market research today, and how are you adapting to them?

The challenges depend on whether you're looking at survey research or qualitative research. For surveys, the big one is data integrity. Artificial intelligence and bots have introduced ways for respondents to cheat, so quality control has become more important than ever. We’ve implemented very rigorous quality control protocols, including safeguards like disabling copy/paste functions in our surveys and flagging suspicious behavior. Even if someone uses AI to generate responses, we make it harder for them to directly plug that into the survey.

On the qualitative side, recruiting knowledgeable respondents is getting tougher. There are so many third-party recruiters out there now that the audiences we used to rely on are fatigued they’ve become somewhat blind to outreach and more difficult to recruit. Cold calling is nearly obsolete. Nobody answers a call from a phone number they don’t recognize anymore.

To adapt, we’ve embraced smarter targeting and leaned into select third-party recruiting platforms. We’re also meeting a new challenge: client expectations have become more sophisticated. That’s a good challenge—it forces us to get sharper and deliver more precise insights.

Of course, incentives are more important than they were a decade or so ago. In the past, we conducted thousands of interviews with no incentives—just cold calls and a clear explanation of what we were doing. That doesn’t work anymore. Time is our most valuable commodity, and we now compensate nearly every type of participant, whether it’s a survey respondent or an interviewee. But incentives come with their own challenges. When money is involved, there’s a stronger motivation to game the system. That’s why we’ve evolved not only how we recruit but also how we verify participants and their responses. Data quality and incentive strategy are now tightly intertwined.

2. What role does innovation play in market intelligence, and how do you plan to stay ahead?

Innovation is everything. We’re using methods today that perhaps didn’t exist even five years ago. Take willingness to pay research—it’s becoming more common, and we’re also seeing a resurgence in conjoint analysis, which had gone quiet for a while.

Sometimes we have to invent new methodologies altogether. One example is our “Benefit-Value Analysis” methodology, which we created to help a client to get information about a proposed product iteration without revealing what the product actually was. We essentially devised a way to survey the market to determine the value customers placed on various product benefits, honing in on an actionable calculation of market value and, therefore, pricing strategy. It worked incredibly well, and now it’s part of our toolkit to apply to other research projects..

We’re also investing in an area we pioneered known as “Emotional iIntelligence”—understanding how emotions drive buying decisions, both for consumers and B2B audiences. Our linguistic-based emotion analysis can be applied to any survey or even retroactively to existing research. Proprietary to our firm, we developed this methodology in partnership with Dr. Tom Snyder, a noted psychiatrist with a PhD in neuroscience, who had become fascinated with the human expression of experienced emotions. The tool is AI-assisted, but always human-guided—we never rely on AI alone to interpret emotions. Context is everything. We are fond of saying, Artificial Intelligence + Human Intelligence = Augmented Intelligence.

3. What industries are seeing the most disruption in consumer behavior, and how does research help brands stay agile?

Honestly, it’s easier to ask which industries aren’t seeing disruption. That said, automotive is a great example of an industry in which consumer preferences and market adoption has undergone significant disruption in recent years. Specifically, the EV surge hit hard initially and then eventually pulled back. As a result, many of our clients in that supplier space—especially those tied to battery production—are over-capacitized. That’s created a lot of uncertainty. As consumer demand has shifted, so too have their manufacturing and supply chain strategies. Understanding how disruption is moving markets is key to innovation and planning.

Inflation has also had a major effect across industries. Food service, consumer electronics—pretty much any industry that touches consumers—are seeing shifts. Political and global economic factors add even more variability.

This is where market sizing research plays a huge role. We help clients see where their markets are going, not just where they’ve been. For one industrial manufacturer, we’ve done global market sizing to understand how their opportunities have shifted due to macro changes. Businesses need to know “where the hockey puck is going” (not just where it is today)—and we help them see that so they can make informed decisions about where, when and how to pivot, if appropriate.

4. In the era of privacy, how can companies ensure ethical data collection while still gaining valuable insights?

Ethical data collection is a huge priority, especially with privacy concerns growing. We use multiple layers of quality control—some are traditional, like attention checks within surveys, but we also use tools to detect bots and AI-generated responses. We track time-on-task and look for patterns in the data to make sure it's human and thoughtful.

Because we use third-party panel providers, there’s a built-in layer of anonymity. We don’t know who the respondent is, and neither does our client. That’s why our QC has to be rock-solid—we can’t go back and ask someone to clarify. It also means our respondents participate voluntarily and with full awareness. Multiple levels of isolation between client and respondent and researcher and respondent help to ensure that responses are authentic and complete, with no influence by those conducting the survey or commissioning the project.

5. What new trends in market research are emerging, and how should businesses prepare for them?

Of course, AI is the obvious trend, but it’s not the silver bullet people might think. We use it cautiously and mostly for support, not for decision-making itself. Privacy issues prevent us from using generative AI tools like ChatGPT for client-specific questions—those can’t become part of the public domain, which would happen if we entered them into publicly accessible large language models.

The less obvious but equally important trend is the rise of strategic pricing research. Since COVID, we've done more pricing work than we did in the previous 20 years combined. Businesses are trying to figure out not just what the market will bear, but what’s a fair price based on the value they provide.

There’s been so much uncertainty—pandemic, supply chain chaos, inflation, tariffs—and now many organizations are creating new roles internally just to address pricing strategy. They want to know how they stack up against competitors and whether their value proposition matches the price. That’s where we come in with tools that go well beyond guesswork.

Final thought: As market research continues to shift in response to new technologies, economic forces, and evolving consumer behaviors, staying ahead requires a mix of innovation, adaptability, and rigor. Whether it’s navigating evolving technologies, tightening privacy regulations, or responding to the ripple effects of global economic shifts, market research today is as much about adaptation as it is about insight. Success will come in constantly refining the tools, asking smarter questions, and never settling for surface-level answers.

1. How are you leveraging insights from industry events like the Marketing Procurement iQ Conference to inform your agency management practices?

Our industry is in a transformative learning phase an era defined by partnership capital. We’re no longer operating in silos; strength now lies in how deeply we collaborate. That means forging tighter bonds not just between brands and agencies, but also between marketers and procurement teams. The energy is palpable at every industry event, where real-world practitioners take the stage to share bold ideas and hard-won lessons. Their insights are the compass points guiding us forward. Because in this business, if you’re not learning, you’re not evolving—and if you’re not evolving, you’re falling behind. Collaboration is the new currency. Growth is the reward for those willing to invest.

2. In what ways are you redefining success metrics in agency partnerships beyond cost and delivery timelines? 

Delivering work on time and on budget is table stakes a tactical necessity, not the finish line. It’s merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to measuring true success in client/agency partnerships. Today’s brands demand more. They look to agencies not just for execution, but for strategic firepower, bold ideas that cut through the noise, and breakthrough innovation that transforms how they engage their audiences.

With such a broad spectrum of agency contributions, the definition of performance is expanding—and so is the list of KPIs. From effectiveness and efficiency to creativity and collaboration, we must measure what we truly treasure. Because in modern partnerships, value isn't just delivered—it's demonstrated.

3. What innovations have you implemented that enable your brand to lead rather than follow in agency collaboration? 

In today’s fast-paced economic landscape, innovation isn’t optional it’s a mindset, a method, and a mandate. Brands and agencies alike are in constant pursuit of smarter, faster, and more impactful ways to operate. Whether it’s harnessing technology to streamline workflows, reimagining processes to unlock efficiency, or driving productivity through more structured and collaborative team dynamics—innovation is the fuel that powers progress. As a leading software platform provider, we don’t just follow innovation—we build it. Our solutions are designed to elevate partnerships by enhancing collaboration, sharpening communication, and simplifying reporting. Now, we’re going a step further—embedding AI to supercharge these tools for marketing, procurement, leadership, and agency teams alike. Because true innovation doesn’t just improve how we work it transforms what’s possible.

4. How are you balancing central oversight with regional autonomy in managing diverse agency ecosystems across geographies? 

Today’s brand advertisers navigate extraordinary complexity spanning multiple business units, brands, regions, and audiences. Some operate with a centralized command, others empower local markets with greater autonomy. This intricate landscape demands an equally sophisticated agency model one that flexes, adapts, and scales with precision. To succeed, the agency ecosystem must be carefully calibrated to reflect these diverse realities. Often, brand strategy is centralized for alignment, while execution is decentralized to honor regional nuance. In this model, a lead agency may serve as the strategic anchor coordinating across markets and agency partners to ensure a unified brand voice, wherever the message lands. Because in a world of complexity, clarity—and the right collaboration model is everything.

5. With the growth of agency relationships in Europe and other international markets, how are you tailoring your agency strategies regionally while maintaining global consistency? 

Every advertiser must architect an operating agency model that aligns global vision with regional realities and local ambition. It’s a delicate balance—where the global team sets strategic direction, while regions are empowered to adapt and execute within tailored guardrails. The degree of flexibility varies by market and mandate, but the goal remains the same: relevance without sacrificing consistency. In response, agencies must flex with purpose adapting their approach, structure, and team composition to mirror the client’s organization. By doing so, they ensure alignment, responsiveness, and impact at every level. Because true partnership isn’t one-size-fits-all it’s custom-built to serve global goals and local genius.

6. How is your organization ensuring continuous improvement in agency relationships to drive long-term marketing ROI?

Feedback is the heartbeat of every high-performing relationship. It fuels growth, fosters trust, and drives continuous improvement. The most effective partnerships embrace it—not just at the finish line, but throughout the journey. That’s why most leading brands conduct year-end client/agency performance reviews, with many adding mid-year check-ins to ensure alignment and avoid surprises. These touchpoints open the door for honest reflection on what’s working, what’s not, and how the partnership can evolve. But feedback doesn’t stop there. Quarterly business reviews offer a regular pulse check on performance, while post-mortem meetings provide space for candid conversations and lessons learned. Because when feedback flows, relationships grow—and great work follows.

1. With legacy PR platforms often catering to large enterprises, how are emerging solutions addressing the needs of startups and small businesses?

Legacy PR platforms have traditionally catered to and been priced for PR agencies and in-house communications teams. The result of this is that it’s been almost impossible for companies to tell their own story to the press without using a firm or having an in-house team. This has consolidated distribution power in the hands of PR agencies and the software companies as opposed to founders and executive teams. This ‘pay to play’ mentality has soured a lot of people to the PR industry.

Press Ranger is changing all of this by removing the cost and knowledge barriers to running your own PR campaigns. By making PR tools accessible to everyone, Press Ranger levels the playing field and makes it easier for everyone to tell their own story.

Legacy PR software tools have also been slow to adapt to the changing AI landscape and integrate newer technologies. By operating a smaller team and focusing on innovation and solving our customer’s problems, Press Ranger has been able to give the megaphone back to more than 10,000 businesses with a set of new, cutting edge tools in the PR landscape.

2. What benefits do the Integration of CRM systems with PR platforms bring to managing media relationships and tracking engagement?

If it can’t be measured, it’s not worth doing. Tracking outreach, distribution, mentions, and attribution are all critical parts of any digital marketing strategy. PR campaigns are no different but the PR industry is extremely relationship driven. Every founder should be reaching out to the top journalists in their niche, building rapport, and pitching stories at all times. Those relationships are the difference between success and failure when it comes to launching new products and driving news cycles.

CRMs are the glue that holds campaigns and relationships together. Using a CRM for your outreach campaigns is integral to measuring and achieving success.

3. What role do podcasts and audio media play in PR strategies in modern media outreach?

Podcasts and audio media have become essential components of modern PR strategies for several reasons:

They offer exceptional audience engagement. Podcast listeners typically consume content for extended periods (often 30+ minutes) and with high attention levels, creating deeper connection opportunities than many text or video formats. This builds trust and credibility that can transfer to featured brands and spokespersons.

From a practical standpoint, podcasts often present lower barriers to entry than traditional media. Many podcast hosts welcome guest experts and are more accessible than journalists at established publications, making them ideal targets for startups and smaller businesses with limited PR resources.

Podcast appearances generate versatile content that can be repurposed across multiple channels. A single interview can be clipped for social media, transcribed for blog content, quoted in newsletters, and featured in email marketing, extending the impact of a single media placement.

Podcasts can also be extremely helpful for SEO. In the age of AI, the more surface areas your company shows up the better. Press Ranger is one of the only press release distribution services that automatically transcribes your press releases to audio and distributes them to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. 

4. With the rise of affordable, user-friendly PR tools, what implications does this have for the future role of traditional PR agencies?

While new tools like Press Ranger are changing the PR landscape, PR agencies still play an extremely important role and will continue to for quite some time. Just because a tool is available or more accessible does not mean that everyone has the time, skillset, and desire to dive in. Businesses without PR as a core competency will still benefit from using PR agencies especially in specialized niches, geographies, and contexts where an expert is needed.

No software is “set it and forget it” and while tools like Press Ranger make the campaign process easy, PR agents still can add value via creative ideation, strategic counsel, crisis management, etc.

5. How can companies effectively tailor their messaging for diverse global audiences with access to international journalist databases?

Cultural contextualization is everything. Running PR campaigns in geographies where you’re not familiar with the customs can have disastrous consequences. Companies should research how their industry, products, and messaging concepts are perceived in target markets. This includes understanding local business practices, cultural values, and communication norms that influence how news is covered and consumed.

Localization goes beyond translation. Effective international PR adapts stories to highlight aspects most relevant to each market, references regional trends or challenges, and connects to local events or priorities rather than simply translating standard global messaging.

Relationship building remains essential despite technological access. Companies should invest time in understanding the media landscape in each target market—identifying influential publications, respected journalists, and preferred communication styles before reaching out through databases.

6. How should PR professionals adapt to changes in media consumption and journalist engagement?

First, content formats are evolving beyond traditional press releases. Campaigns should now have content strategies that include visual assets, video, infographics, audio, and social media-ready content that journalists can easily repurpose for digital audiences.

Second, relationship building requires more personalization and value exchange. With journalists receiving hundreds of pitches daily, PR professionals must develop genuine relationships by demonstrating deep understanding of a journalist's beat, providing exclusive insights or data, and helping them create compelling content—not just promoting company news.

Third, storytelling approaches need adaptation for fragmented attention spans. PR professionals should lead with clear, concise impact statements rather than corporate messaging, focusing on authentic human interest angles and unexpected perspectives that capture attention in crowded information environments.

Fourth, measurement focus should shift from quantity to quality and engagement. Rather than counting clips or calculating advertising equivalency, PR effectiveness should be measured through metrics like audience engagement, message pull-through, referral traffic, and contribution to business objectives.

Finally, PR professionals must develop cross-platform competency. Understanding how stories flow across traditional media, social platforms, podcasts, newsletters, and other channels and how to optimize content for each is essential for maximizing reach and impact in today's fragmented media landscape.

1.In what ways is your organization enhancing the perceived value of your health and wellness offerings to meet evolving consumer expectations?

At 5WPR, we’ve always understood that value isn’t just transactional, it’s experiential. Today’s health-conscious consumers expect more than products; they’re looking for purpose, transparency, and authenticity. Our expanded digital services are designed to meet those expectations by amplifying brand narratives through performance-based strategies. Whether it's personalized content, community-building on social platforms, or seamless e-commerce experiences, we help brands show up in ways that are not only valuable but also deeply resonant.

2. What measures are being taken to ensure that your marketing messages resonate with health-conscious consumers?

We’re taking a precision-driven approach to message development. Through a blend of data analytics, social listening, and audience segmentation, we’re able to understand not just what consumers want but why they want it. This insight allows us to craft messaging that speaks to individual values and lifestyles. Pair that with influencer partnerships and real-time engagement strategies, and we’re able to build credibility and trust in a way that feels personal and timely.

3. What innovative approaches are being implemented to differentiate your agency in the crowded health and wellness marketplace?

Differentiation in this space is rooted in relevance. We’ve integrated advanced SEO, paid media, and e-commerce optimization into our digital marketing and PR offering to ensure our clients are not only found but chosen. We’re also exploring immersive content experiences, like AR product trials and interactive education platforms, to break through the noise. What truly sets us apart is our ability to unite content and performance marketing in a way that builds both brand equity and measurable results.

4. What operational changes are being considered to accommodate the growing demand for health and wellness products without compromising quality and efficiency?

On our side, it’s about operational agility and cross-functional collaboration. We’ve scaled our digital teams to move faster but also smarter, with specialized roles in data science, creative production, and media buying. For our clients, we’re advising on integrated tech stacks that support growth, such as CRM optimization and automated consumer journey mapping, so their operations scale in step with demand without sacrificing the human touch.

5. What long-term strategies are in place to ensure sustained growth in a market where health and wellness are becoming central to consumer lifestyles?

Longevity in this space hinges on adaptability and consumer intimacy. Our long-term strategies focus on building Experience Brands, brands that adapt continuously to the evolving needs of their communities. This includes long-tail content strategies, ongoing performance optimization, and layered storytelling across channels. We’re not just thinking in campaigns, we’re building ecosystems that drive loyalty, advocacy, and cultural relevance.

6. How is your organization preparing for potential shifts in consumer behavior that may further influence the health and wellness industry?

We’re preparing by staying future-focused and insight-led. Our teams actively track behavioral signals, emerging platforms, and cultural movements to stay ahead of the curve. Whether it’s the rise of digital wellness, bio-individuality in nutrition, or increased demand for ethical sourcing, we’re building agile digital marketing health & wellness frameworks that allow our clients to pivot quickly and lead confidently into the next wave of wellness innovation.

1. How do behavior-driven incentives improve customer loyalty compared to traditional points-based systems? 

Traditional points programs often ask customers to wait and build up points, track balances, and figure out when and how to redeem. It’s not always intuitive, and it doesn’t always feel rewarding in the moment. Behavior-driven incentives flip that model by responding to what customers are doing right now. If someone makes a repeat purchase, refers a friend or downloads an app, they can receive a reward almost instantly. This immediate reinforcement for desired behaviors is incredibly effective in driving engagement, brand loyalty and repeat behaviors in addition to streamlining operating and marketing costs. 

Today’s technology makes this approach painless and more relevant than ever. APIs and embedded reward solutions allow brands to deliver rewards frequently and at just the right moment, across any channel. Whether it’s a digital gift card delivered immediately after a purchase or a reward for completing a survey, these interactions feel seamless. Behavior-based incentives are not only more engaging than traditional points-based systems, they also give businesses valuable data to better understand what drives customers. This data provides unique insights into each customer as it analyzes which incentives are most used, how they are redeemed and so forth—leading to more personalized and powerful future marketing efforts. Add in robust data analytics and AI that BHN and Exchange Solutions bring to the table together, and you have a robust engine to drive behavior and sales. The end result is a more dynamic, personalized, loyalty strategy that keeps people coming back.

2. How does this collaboration help brands deliver omnichannel loyalty experiences across digital touchpoints?

At its core, this partnership between Blackhawk Network (BHN) and Exchange Solutions equips businesses to deliver connected, omnichannel loyalty experiences that keep customers coming back.

Our collaboration helps businesses enhance customer engagement strategies and relationships via tech-integrated loyalty programs and rewards—featuring smart solutions that help make loyalty more valuable for businesses and consumers alike. Pairing our collective expansive rewards network and powerful digital loyalty technology, we’re helping businesses custom-tailor their marketing efforts by leveraging available data to deliver consistent, personalized experiences across every channel. In addition, we make storing and accessing store rewards in the moment seamless to customers with our omni-wallet solution.

Whether a customer shops in-store, online or through an app, their omnichannel activities and brand engagements should feel worthwhile and meaningful. That’s where our partnership comes in. With real-time data and our digital solutions, brands can offer tailored incentives (e.g., physical or digital gift cards) and customized marketing promotions based on how, when and where consumers are engaging. These data-backed solutions can be applied for a variety of activities like taking advantage of promotions, providing an online review, referring a friend, or hitting a spending milestone. Timely, personalized incentives and rewards go a long way in turning everyday interactions into lasting loyalty. And on the backend, it’s just as seamless. The solution is scalable, fast to implement and doesn’t demand major, often expensive, IT resources. That means brands can focus more on engaging customers and less on backend logistics—providing a true win-win for brands and their customers.

3. What are the key factors in creating a frictionless and rewarding loyalty experience for consumers? 

A few factors matter most: Personalization, ease of use and speed.

Rewards must be relevant and personalized to be optimally effective. Consumers expect loyalty experiences to reflect their behavior and preferences, and the technology exists today to ensure each customer has their own personal brand connections. When brands use real-time data to hyper-personalize their marketing efforts and predict future customer behavior, loyalty programs are more tailored and rewarding for everyone involved. Brands that make people feel seen and appreciated as individuals are much more likely to drive loyalty over time. 

Loyalty programs also need to be simple. If earning or redeeming rewards is complicated or slow, consumers lose interest. Friction in the process—like clunky sign-ups, limited reward options or confusing redemption steps—drives people away and onto the doorsteps of your competitors. Conversely, smooth omnichannel experiences that meet people where they are can drive repeated, ongoing interactions and lasting brand loyalty.

Lastly, rewards should be delivered quickly. Consumers want to see value soon after they take action as well as before they make a purchase. A rapid reward loop—where customers can earn and redeem rewards in a short time frame (also known as “earn and burn”)—is a successful strategy to keep them interested and coming back while also positioning your brand top of mind. Our collective data analytics, promotional engine and AI speaks to customers wherever they are in their journey. Thanks to modern marketing technologies, offering frictionless omnichannel experiences is painless and cost-effective. 

4. How can businesses use loyalty programs as a tool for long-term customer retention rather than short-term rewards? 

Loyalty programs work best when they’re built to drive customer connection, not conversion—experiences vs. transactions. Instead of offering shortsighted rewards and incentives like a one-time discount, businesses can leverage rewards to create intentional, ongoing touchpoints. Our research  has consistently found that reward-based promotions that are custom-designed and personalized significantly outperform discounts and other short-term rewards. 

Here's why: One-time (often discount-based) promotions don’t encourage future or follow-up behaviors from your customers. Yet it’s these long-term behaviors that build long-term brand loyalty, affinity and engagement. Reward-based promotions—especially those that are custom-tailored—optimize your marketing spend through repeat sales and customer engagements. 

This kind of approach simply makes better business sense—especially since modern marketing technologies offer data on customer behavior over time that informs which rewards will resonate most. Rather than giving away margin through blanket promotions, brands can use personalized rewards to drive better loyalty that actually grows the bottom line. Our research1 uncovered that businesses that offer reward-based promotions have reported experiencing massive cross- and up-sell revenue, increases in annual revenue, year-over-year improvements in customer lifetime value (CLV) and higher average profit margins per customer. Smarter, long-term marketing strategies that encourage repeat touchpoints are demonstrably better at driving customer loyalty.

5. How do gift cards and alternative payment solutions integrate into next-gen loyalty strategies?

Prepaid and gift cards are consistently among consumers’ most desired rewards across a spectrum of use cases and applications—and it makes perfect sense. They’re accessible no matter where customers are (in-store, online, in-app), easy to disburse in a variety of forms (e.g., physical or digital cards), offer expansive choice via the brands and networks featured on the cards, can be delivered almost instantly digitally and are widely accepted as payment tools. For loyalty programs looking for flexibility and scale, prepaid and gift card rewards are a perfect fit, as fulfillment isn’t one-size-fits-all and brands only need to pay for what they need (eliminating excess inventory from sitting around idle). 

In a world where cash is still king, stored value and gift cards provide a unique alternative to cashback or credit to account where there is no cost reduction and often no overspend.

Further, many prepaid and gift cards can be customized to include branding features like branding and personalization for individual customers as well as pre-scheduled delivery. This added touch helps drive loyalty not only by creating a halo effect where consumers are reminded and feel positively toward the brand that issued the reward, but because recipients also feel seen and appreciated as individuals as opposed to faceless shoppers. 

6. What industries stand to benefit the most from this new approach to loyalty program innovation?

Tech-informed marketing and customer loyalty strategies are relevant across countless industries—and through this partnership, industries like retail, travel, grocery, healthcare, fuel and C-store and automotive are particularly poised for success. These modernized, data-informed and flexible loyalty strategies offer no shortage of applications as delivering positive brand experiences becomes increasingly important in nurturing loyalty.

With BHN’s loyalty solutions, businesses can get deeper insights into how their customers spend and what drives them to come back. That data allows them to create more relevant rewards, increase repeat visits and boost average order value. For industries where loyalty can shift quickly, a smarter and more modern rewards and incentives approach like the ones we power can make all the difference. 

1. How are organizations adapting their product portfolios to address the increasing consumer acceptance of private labels, with 68% viewing them as good alternatives to branded products? 

While consumers are undoubtedly more accepting of private labels than ever before, recent NIQ sales data shows that the top 10 global brands are growing slightly faster than private labels. With that in mind, the conversation really shifts more to collaboration and coexistence, or the idea of working alongside fellow product players to drive overall category growth. There are a number of strategic efforts being adopted to help companies identify avenues for symbiotic growth. For instance, retailers and manufacturers are using advanced analytics to tailor their products finitely to emerging consumers' needs. They are also doubling down on the unique strengths their products bring to the table and refining pricing strategies to differentiate themselves in-market to avoid a race to the bottom through direct competition with other players.  

2. How are regional consumer preferences influencing how companies approach private label and branded product offerings, given the noted differences in markets like Egypt and South Korea?

There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for success across all markets, and it’s extremely important for companies big and small to understand the country-level nuances that could tip the scales. A population that skews toward younger consumers, like in Egypt, may have less discretionary income than an older average population base, like in South Korea. Another consideration lies in comparing the relative maturity of private label growth and presence in a given market. Where we see markets in Europe lead the world in terms of consumer adoption and development of private label brand presence, markets like Egypt are only just beginning to see discount retail channels surge in influence, fueling private label product growth along the way. But amid the rise in value-seeking shopping behaviors, we must remember that “value” means different things to different shoppers. So, companies need to align their next moves to a granular and regularly updated read of what matters most to their target consumers.  

3. How are organizations leveraging the “brand halo effect” to boost the appeal of private labels situated near well-known brands? 

Retailers can harness the credibility of well-known brands to boost the appeal of their own private labels. The perception that a store brand can match the quality or perception of a premium name brand builds consumer trust and drives sales. There are many examples of retailer brands taking advantage of the “brand halo effect,” a few of which were executed to great success around the festive year-end period of 2024. In one instance, a popular UK discount retailer took inspiration from a popular soda pop brand by showcasing a holiday-themed beverage truck to surprise and delight local consumers. Harnessing the values of community building, festive spirit, and new product discovery, this discount grocer took product experience to new heights for UK consumers with its private label cola and giveaways promoting “middle aisle” offerings to prospective shoppers. If this retailer can achieve a comparable taste experience to consumers here, they could position themselves—and perhaps other products they carry—as trusted brand options consumers can turn to for their consumable needs. This is a great, festive example of a private label harnessing a known brand halo to drive interest in their product line. Additionally, leveraging the reputation of a well-known and trusted retailer itself can also come into play here, as 60% of global consumers trust store brands due to their retailer endorsement.

4. What innovative approaches are being implemented to co-promote private label and branded products effectively? 

Organizations are implementing several innovative approaches to co-promote private label and branded products effectively. This is where the rising world of retail media networks (RMNs) shines as a prime playground for collaborative, co-branded engagements with consumers. Companies need to maximize their reach across all the various channels through which consumers are seeking to buy products. RMNs provide brands with opportunities to showcase their products to highly targeted audiences—directly on the platforms where consumers make their purchasing decisions. In a time when collaboration between private labels and brands is so essential to growth, those that can harness their presence on RMNs stand to gain the most. For instance, RMNs can amplify overall growth potential for retailers, enable new data for precision targeting for manufacturers, and personalize shopping experiences for consumers. 

5. How are organizations preparing for potential shifts in consumer behavior that may further influence the balance between private label and branded product sales?

Collaboration between retailers and manufacturers will be key to weathering any challenges or shifts to consumer behavior that may lie ahead. Take, for example, a situation in which purchases of name brands unlock discounts or incentives toward private labels and vice versa. This type of mutual engagement encourages consumers to explore both product types, maximizes total category purchasing, and can enhance the appeal of both private labels and brands by mutual association.

In addition to co-branding strategies, organizations need to prepare to meet the expanding definition of “value” among their customers by continually adapting the assortment and product attributes featured on their packaging. In fact, the demand for more options exists for both private label and branded products. Six in 10 global respondents said they would buy more private label products if there were a larger variety available. Additionally, 54% of consumers around the world treat themselves by upgrading to premium brands, with Millennials (61%) and Gen Z (58%) leading the charge in selective splurging. Brands should adapt and home in on the combination of valued and desirable factors that are most likely to meet current shoppers' expectations.  

6. What long-term strategies could companies implement to ensure sustained growth and competitiveness in a market where both private labels and branded products are gaining traction?

Rather than pursuing avenues for direct competition, companies should emphasize collaboration and finding harmonious growth between private labels and branded products. Mutual success in this way will strengthen consumer choice, maximize overall category growth opportunities, and enhance shopper satisfaction in the selection and options at their disposal. 

For retailers, it will be essential to strengthen overall category traffic through prioritizing prominent placements of both name-brand and private label options, catering to a wide and diverse set of customers. Consumers must see and feel their needs being met through a store’s holistic assortment of retail-owned and brand-name offerings. For manufacturers, it will be essential to both justify brand worth to consumers and work collaboratively with retailers’ interests in mind.  It’s important to be clear and confident in one’s unique value proposition, owning price positioning and avoiding undervaluing price through excessive promotions. It’s also important to be a true partner in the co-creation of shopper journeys, infusing a name brand into cross-promotions that support private labels as well, but that couldn’t be replicated by private labels alone.   

It’s become a wild world for private labels and brands to navigate. But there’s never been a better time for organizations to rally together to find ways to grow the overall size of prize with consumers. Instead of struggling alone to survive, work collectively to find harmony on and beyond the shelf.

1. What role does real-time data play in optimizing digital marketing performance across web and mobile?

Many businesses rely on first-party data, typically available in real time or with minimal delay, in order to optimize their performance]. However, businesses don’t operate in isolation—you need market context, competitor insights, and consumer behavior trends to understand why your metrics are shifting and how to respond. This is where market intelligence comes in.

Traditionally, this data was siloed, delayed, and lacked actionability. Now, real-time insights enable brands to react instantly to shifting demand and competitor moves. For example, during the 2024 U.S. elections, Similarweb observed a surge in crypto-related searches, followed by increased downloads and engagement in crypto trading apps like Robinhood. The app even rebranded itself in the App Store to "Now with Election Market" on November 3rd—an agile response to market needs. That’s one reason Robinhood was able to outperform competitors on important measures of engagement such as daily stickiness (the ratio of daily to monthly usage) and sessions per user.

2. How does unifying web and app analytics help businesses create a more comprehensive digital strategy?

Consumers interact with brands across multiple touchpoints - web, mobile apps, and offline channels. A customer might see an ad on TV, search for the brand on Google or ChatGPT, download the app from the store, and then make a purchase. For example, email marketing may drive users to a website, where a promo code encourages app activation. And of course these days we are observing referrals from AI-driven platforms like ChatGPT influence user journeys as well.

Without a holistic view, businesses miss critical insights and unique opportunities to acquire customers and generate revenue. It can be easy to misinterpret market trends or business performance – for example, a decline in website traffic might not indicate a market downturn but rather a shift toward mobile app adoption. Similarly, tracking loyalty program sign-ups in an app alongside segment-level website traffic provides a fuller picture of customer behavior. Understanding both web and app data is key to an effective digital strategy.

3. What challenges do companies face when integrating cross-platform data insights, and how does your solution address them?

The biggest challenge to integrating cross platform insights is data normalization - ensuring fair comparisons between web and app metrics. Web visits and app sessions aren’t identical, as app sessions often reflect deeper engagement. To bridge this gap, we provide frameworks and dashboards that align engaged web visits with app interactions, making cross-platform analysis more accurate and actionable.

4. How does AI improve the accuracy of app performance benchmarking and competitive analysis?

AI is a game-changer in market intelligence. By processing petabytes of data, Similarweb enhances estimation models for competitor benchmarking, delivering more precise insights than ever before. We leverage AI to analyze and categorize customer reviews, automatically clustering feedback into key themes providing a fast and detailed understanding of user sentiment. We’re also continuously integrating AI-powered insights to accelerate decision-making and improve competitive intelligence products, working on AI agents right now, so stay tuned!

5. What key KPIs should brands track to optimize mobile and web experiences?

The right KPIs depend on your business goals. If you’re looking to increase engagement, consider focusing on metrics like daily stickiness (daily active users comapred with monthly active users for apps, and the ratio of daily visitors to monthly visitors for the web), time spent per user, exclusive and returning visitors on website, app ratings, sentiment trends, and retention on apps. For customer acquisition efficiency, we would consider a different set of KPIs such as  paid traffic versus bounce rate on web, and store downloads versus 30-day retention for apps.

When integrating market intelligence with your first-party data, it's important to put absolute numbers into context. Calculate your share within the market and compare it to competitor averages. It’s also valuable to analyze the performance of top players in your category. By aligning KPIs with your business objectives, you can build a more effective optimization strategy. Enriching your data with full market context not only shows how you're performing - it also helps explain why it’s happening and what actions you can take.

6. How can businesses use predictive analytics to anticipate trends in user engagement and behavior?

Similarweb provides daily behavioral insights and can even get down to the hourly level for keyword trends data. On the other hand, historical trends have great predictive value—seasonal patterns, advertising spend from market leaders, consumer demand shifts, and broader economic sentiment, all of which contribute to better forecasting. By layering these insights, businesses can anticipate trends and proactively adjust their strategies.