#Jeffrey Cheal

[retailtouchpoints]

3 Reasons To Invest More In Data Analytics

By Jeffrey Cheal, Episerver

There are two kinds of marketers today: those who use a firehose to drink up data analytics and those who haven’t even turned on the faucet. There’s a happy medium that exists when purposeful metrics flow into every part of a retail business. Whether you’re just dipping your toe into the analytics pond or you are drowning in data, here are three reasons to invest in the right kind of metrics to move your merchandise out and your marketing forward.

1. Analytics For Answers

Although there are some common site metrics many retail organizations collect — average order value, conversion rate — there is no single set of metrics that works for all organizations. The importance of these data points and others center around web site goals, a general understanding of your business and, most importantly, what you want to figure out. If there is a question to be asked, analytics can help.

Let’s take this question as an example: Is your product something that users extensively research before purchasing? If so, site analytics need to be related to sales and timing data, as users may purchase with less frequency but show higher-than-average time on site. If correlations can be made between sales and time spent, then marketers will need to develop more compelling reasons for people to stay on the site. If there is no correlation, then they can focus on a quicker path to purchase, such as traditional product pages versus products intertwined in content. 

2. Analytics For Action

While analysis is great, action is better. Commonly, there are two action paths marketers and merchandisers can take from their investment into data: 

#1: Reproduce what works Let’s say you find that users tend to purchase more on the weekends than on weekdays. Once confirmed with higher weekend conversion rates, marketers can offer special weekend promotions, adjust marketing cadence so customers receive offers on Fridays in preparation for weekend shopping or retarget weekday shoppers with personalized ads to get them back on Saturday or Sunday when they are more likely to buy.

#2: Identify what does not work Let’s say you use demographic data to find that users in smaller population areas view your site less. This allows you to buy targeted media in these areas or use alternative messaging in your site personalization when they visit. As you dive into the data, you can determine more and more about why your message does not resonate to users in these areas, and adjust your marketing appropriately.

A good organization has a balance of this — while most brands will try to find high AOV customers and clone them, they also are identifying what reasons low AOV customers fail to convert at the same rate by looking at different attributes. I recently worked with a banking client that saw the value in collecting hobby and general interest data from users who came to their site and did not sign up. As a local bank, they wanted to stay more in touch with the community. To help with acquisition, they were able to adjust their on-site lifestyle messaging and local philanthropic projects, to speak to audiences who did not initially engage in meaningful ways with their brand.

3. Analytics For Anecdotes

Many brands find that digital commerce is a black box — users purchase but often they don’t have the insight to paint a good picture of the difference between their in-store customer and their online customer. Visitor journey data can help paint that picture — and not just on-site journeys, but complete lifecycle data including email interaction, social media interaction, viewing or interacting with paid media, etc. While you will find anomalies in the data, over time you will start to see weighted trends. Here are a few examples: 

Find the number of touch points before a user becomes a member of your loyalty program, so as to quantify when to start promoting a sign-up page instead of suggesting more content.

Map the number of visits to the site for a customer before they reorder a product. This could help with more relevant email calls to action.  

Examine shopping cart size. Users might buy less frequently, but when they do, they may have higher shopping cart sizes. Your tactic should then be to drive more upselling and cross-selling suggestions to maximize transaction sizes.

Despite our wishes, data only confirms and quantifies. Keep asking ‘why’ and your team can get to the root problem to help your analytics investment pay off.

Jeff Cheal is the director of product strategy for Personalization, Campaign & Analytics at Episerver, where he brings an extensive background in advertising sales, software and marketing strategy. Cheal is based out of New York, serving the North American market as an ambassador for the Episerver product suite, staying connected with both the partner network and customer base.

[thedepthsoffandomminds]

What happens in the dark. Part 3

Talk of substance abuse

Part 1

Part 2

Sweet gentle Morpheus

Dream x fem reader

Dream stood in a small, dark room with a single light swinging above him. The curved knife in his hand.

"Tell me, Jeffrey Snub, why were you hurting her?"

The man Dream had beaten lie on a table infront of him. His arms and legs chained. No longer was he twisted and misshapen as he had been the night before. He was no longer the nightmare from Dream's own mind, now he was just a man.

"The girl gives power, I feed from it. You will see keep her around long enough and you'll want to drain her."

"What are you?" Dream lent in close to Jerrrey's face, taking in his scent.

"I will never tell you." Jeffrey spat back at him.

Dream sighed,

"Gillger, my little nightmare."

"Yes my Lord Morpheus" a green serpent coiled around his wrist.

"Get into his mind, make him suffer." Dream whispered. Gillger smiled.

******

You woke, feeling sun beam down on you, warming your skin perfectly. The memories of the night before coming back to you. You grabbed your chest and looked down. No sign of any blood. Your breathing was easy. Slowly, you sat yourself up.

"Hey, hey slow down. Don't rush ypurself." Dream held onto your shoulders guiding you to sit up in the bed.

"What happened?"

"You almsot died, in the waking world. Jeffrey was....hurting you." You saw the pain in his eyes.

"Did you..."

"My sister, Death she helped. Please don't worry about it now. You are safe here. You are no longer sleeping, you are in your waking body." He sat beside you as he spoke.

"Do I have to go back?"

"No, no you..." the muscles in his cheals tensed, "you are safe here, so you may stay. I want you to stay here."

Your smile was involuntary.

"Thank you, Dream."

The rest of the day you stayed in bed, Dream glued to your side, leaving only to fetch food or drinks for you. The company was easy, as if the two of you had always been friends. You laughed and joked about his life and yours. Eventually, he found his way to your true dark story.

"I have read the book of your life, there is so much left out."

"Because of my blood?" You ask. He nods.

"I assume so. Would you, would you tell me?"

You took in a breath, picking at the skin around your fingernails.

"My parents died when I was young, a few years old so I lived with my grandmother. I don't know what happened, at some point I suppose it became to much, I was too much. She turned to drugs, got herself involved with a dealer. When she couldn't pay her bill, he took me. I was fifteen. For the first year I was just a slave. Did his washing, his laundry until..." Your voice trailed off. Dream reached forward taking your hand in his.

"You don't have to tell me anymore. Not until you want to." His deep voice resonated in your chest. You sniffed away a tear.

"Tell me about you, please?" You say.

"There is more story of my life than I could fit into a day. Most recently I was held captive for over a hundred years, my talismans stolen from me. I had to search the waking world for them. I learned things about the dreams I created, the nightmares that had been left unguided. I had allowed a darkness to control me, I wouldn't listen to my own creations. A girl showed me how wrong I was. Her name is Rose."

As if he had felt the change in you, the wobble in your chest, he looked at you.

"She was a child, a vortex. She came close to destroying everything I had made until her family showed us both there was a better way. "

You nod not entirely understanding. The two of you shifted on the bed so Dream was sat beside you against the headboard, your bodies turned to each other. His fingers played with yours.

"Dream, what happens to me, when I sleep? If I am already here in the dreaming realm where will I go?" The question had popped into your head as a yawn took over you. Dream thought for a moment.

"I...I don't know. Y/n I don't know why but I need to ask you a question."

You nod.

"I have been longing to kiss you almost from the moment we met."

"That's not a question, Dream."

His chest rose with a deep, heavy breath just as yours became shallow.

"Can I kiss you, y/n?"

Part 4

@laraackerman @lexi-anastasia @secretdreamlandmentality @lolitaisreal