Thought Leadership

Accelerating Healthcare: Drug Diversion Surveillance

While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to dominate the news, coverage of America’s “other” health crisis -- the opioid epidemic -- has fallen off the front page, even as the damage and death it’s bringing to our country grows. In the 12 months ending in May 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded more than 81,000 overdose deaths -- the most ever recorded in a 12-month period by the Centers.

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Consumers and brands are getting chatty. Big time.

In November 2019, we surveyed 1,500 consumers and found that less than 10% -- only 9.1% -- had ever interacted with a brand via a website pop-up/chatbox, SMS, social media messaging or other direct-to-consumer communications channel. But, that’s all changed. Just over a year later our latest survey finds that 40% of consumers have now chatted online with a brand. That’s a 4.4x increase in consumer conversations with brands. 

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Three Keys to Perfecting Cross-Channel Personalization

The traditional, linear path to purchase has fallen, firmly, by the wayside. Data shows that shoppers are going wherever they need to find the products they want. Yet too many marketers still rely on legacy engagement strategies to try and drive sales.

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Breaking research reveals that retail media networks are vital, not niche

We recently conducted a survey of 200 retail professionals about their retail media networks (RMNs). They overwhelmingly indicated an increased commitment to, and investment in, their RMNs in 2021. The main reason? They see those networks as crucial vehicles to drive sales and create new revenue streams.

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COVID-19 in the Media: Bridging the Trust Gap

At a time when concern about the spread of misinformation is high, building trust remains a key task for marketers.  In mid-December, the first person in the US received the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which was a ground-breaking moment in history. It was also a crucial step towards the return to normalcy and a post-COVID world. In the weeks and months ahead, it will be crucial to communicate correct details about the development and distribution of the vaccine to the general public. 

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Your e-commerce strategy had better be ready for the new normal

The pandemic pushed e-commerce adoption rates years ahead of schedule, both in terms of consumer expectations and retailer capabilities. While shoppers will eventually return to browsing in-store, many have grown used to the convenience and variety that e-commerce offers.

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What really matters in retail today?

Everything is changing at a pace that’s hard to fathom. But some things will never change.

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New Promotion Strategies for a New Year

There’s good reason to be optimistic about 2021. However, if brands and retailers are going to build on the gains they’ve made during this tumultuous past year -- and address lingering challenges -- they need to understand which of the recently emerging shopper behavior trends are going to stick. And invest appropriately.

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Valentine’s Day: Shoppers Still Plan to Celebrate, Just Quarantine Style

Consumers are playing it COVID-safe by ordering takeout, but still plan to celebrate their loved ones as they have in years past.

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