Author: Rorye Hatcher

In the final session of our Creativity Meets eCommerce Strategy: webinar series, Finch & Flocksy explored the transformative power of data in driving eCommerce growth. 

In this session focused on how businesses can leverage insights to make informed decisions, optimize strategies, and foster continuous improvement, speakers included David Gray, Finch head of product; Justin Jefferson, Keen Head of Strategy and Insights; and Sam Ryan, Flocksy CEO. 

The experience wrapped up on a high note, firmly positioning Finch and Flocksy as trailblazing thought leaders in the ever-evolving world of eCommerce.

Moderator Mike Mardis led the group through an insightful discussion of how each executive’s company uses data to get customers and keep them coming back. 

Ryan said Flocksy measures its success with a broad scope of metrics, including how the platform is doing in terms of bringing people to the website, convincing them to attend a demo, signing up, whether they stay or leave, and how it does in trying to win back customers. 

“It’s all about building a relationship with that client, and it starts with the creative,” he said. “A piece of creative might be really high-performing, but you’ve got to be able to back it up.” 

Gray and Jefferson discussed the complex calculations eCommerce businesses have to juggle, including manufacturing costs and marketing mix modeling, or MMM. 

“The goal is to understand the performance of your marketing relative to all the other business dynamics at play,” Jefferson said. “When you’re building a marketing mix model, not only do you want your sales data, your revenue data, but we’re also looking at your marketing activities. Your spend, your cost, your clicks – and then we’re looking at the external factors.” 

Those are factors like seasonality, competition, distribution, and catalog size. By only analyzing marketing data, businesses limit the insight and understanding they can achieve, he said. 

MMM used to be less accessible because of its complexity, Gray said, but AI’s ability to analyze large amounts of data quickly makes it much more attainable for businesses and brands. 

Did you miss a session or want to revisit? Check out the recordings here. (They’ll be available any time you need them!)

Key Takeaways:

Key Metrics: Attendees learned how to identify and track the most important metrics that influence eCommerce success. Understanding these key performance indicators (KPIs) helps businesses stay focused on what matters most.

Data-Driven Decisions: The session provided techniques for using data to inform strategic decisions, enabling companies to respond more effectively to customer needs and market trends. Data-driven decisions lead to better targeting, improved customer experiences, and enhanced growth opportunities.

Continuous Improvement: We discussed the importance of making small, consistent improvements based on data insights. These incremental changes can accumulate over time, resulting in significant growth and long-term success.

With data as a foundation, businesses can create a more adaptive and effective approach to their eCommerce strategies.

Series Recap:

Our webinar series has been a great success at sharing our insights throughout the eCommerce sphere! 

Throughout this webinar series, Finch & Flocksy have shared key strategies to help businesses create unforgettable and profitable customer experiences:

Session 1: The Collaborative Journey emphasized the power of cross-functional teamwork in creating a seamless customer journey.

Session 2: Creating Lasting Impressions explored how compelling visuals and engaging content can enhance customer interactions and foster loyalty.

Session 3: Foundations of Success highlighted essential tactics for optimizing paid media, improving search visibility, and increasing conversion rates.

Session 4: Growth Strategies focused on blending paid, organic, and loyalty marketing efforts to create a well-rounded growth formula.

In this final session, we tie it all together by focusing on the importance of data in guiding ongoing growth efforts. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Did you attend the webinars? Let us know what you thought! Visit the Finch LinkedIn page to share your thoughts. 

In the penultimate session of our Creativity Meets eCommerce Strategy: How To Keep and Win High-Value Customers webinar series, Finch & Flocksy explored a winning formula for eCommerce growth by blending paid, organic, and loyalty efforts. 

Four big-league eCommerce leaders lent their expertise to this webinar.

• DJ Sprague, Shopper Approved CMO, is a keynote speaker, author, & podcaster who expertly implements online reputation management, marketing strategies, and behavioral science principles.
• Nikita Vakhrushev, ASPEKT CEO, has a unique perspective on how to get the most out of a brand’s retention channels after nearly a decade in digital marketing.
• Chirag Lathiya, CEO of Feedspace.io, leads engineering & marketing initiatives with user-centric design. 
• George Ryan, Flocksy CMO, excels in crafting compelling marketing strategies that resonate with audiences and drive business growth.

This session focused on creating a holistic marketing approach that drives sustainable success in an increasingly competitive landscape.

“In an ever-evolving market, the ability to integrate different marketing strategies such as paid advertising, organic growth, and customer loyalty can make a difference in achieving sustainable success,” said moderator Sarah Fitzgerald. 

Everybody goes to Google to find the solutions to their problems, Sprague said. 

“Ultimately what is going to drive customers to your website is organic search or paid search results,” Sprague said. “And we know statistically it’s going to be those top five search results. We know, also, that the top five organic search results get more than the top paid results.”

Social proof is a powerful tool to help your brand gain authenticity, in addition to SEO and paid search efforts, he said. 

Reputation management is really important, and a huge part of that is ensuring people love the product that you provide, so your reviews are great, Ryan said. 

He is a fan of using SEO for organic search results as well. He suggested finding the terms and keywords people use to find your business and work those into your web pages and other assets. 

“It is a long-term play,” he said. “I encourage anyone who hasn’t done that to get started on it, because it can take a while to ramp up.” 

Key Takeaways:

Seamless Integration: Attendees learned how to integrate paid media, organic content, and loyalty programs into a cohesive strategy that amplifies reach and builds lasting customer relationships. We discussed best practices for balancing these efforts to create a powerful and sustainable growth engine.

New Trends & Opportunities: We also uncovered emerging trends and opportunities within the evolving eCommerce landscape, equipping businesses with the tools to stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on new growth avenues.

Customer Relationship Nurturing: A major focus was on actionable strategies for nurturing customer relationships, driving repeat business, and maximizing the lifetime value of each customer.

With a well-rounded approach, businesses can achieve consistent growth while building stronger connections with their customer base.

Series Recap:

Throughout this webinar series, Finch & Flocksy have covered essential strategies for eCommerce success:

• Session 1: The Collaborative Journey highlighted the importance of teamwork in creating a seamless customer journey.
• Session 2: Creating Lasting Impressions focused on how compelling visuals and engaging content can enhance every customer interaction.
• Session 3: Foundations of Success provided actionable insights into optimizing paid media, search visibility, and conversion rates to create a winning buying experience.

About Finch and Flocksy: 

Finch specializes in crafting killer marketing strategies that remove friction from the customer journey, using the right people, the right process, and the right technology.

Since 2016, Flocksy has been the most affordable unlimited marketing materials platform, helping brands create high-quality, on-brand content that captivates audiences and drives real results.

Together, we empower businesses and agencies to achieve growth by blending expertise, creativity, and seamless collaboration.

In the third session of our Creativity Meets eCommerce Strategy: How To Keep and Win High-Value Customers webinar series, Lee Roquet, Finch CEO, told a powerful anecdote about the tale of two brands. 

He was looking at Instagram and saw an ad for shirts. He liked the sharp shirt in the picture, so he clicked on the ad. The link in the ad didn’t take him to the pictured shirt, and a search of the mobile site left him frustrated. He clicked away.

Another brand advertising shirts on Instagram provided a different buying experience. Upon clicking the link, Roquet was able to easily find items he liked, in his size. He bought two shirts in four minutes, and when the shirts arrived at his home, they were packed with care and a thank you note was included.

“It’s the simple things,” he concluded. “Make sure the buying experience you’re providing is the one you want.”

During the third webinar, Finch & Flocksy took a deep dive into the foundational elements that create a winning eCommerce buying experience. They shared what has become a repeating theme throughout this series: every touchpoint of the customer journey is crucial, and businesses must take time to analyze each aspect carefully for the best results.

From optimizing paid media to enhancing search visibility and increasing conversion rates, this session was packed with actionable insights to help businesses from Erin VerDorn, Fireside Head of Strategy, Brooke Baker, Flocksy Project Manager, and Roquet. This session was again moderated by Mike Mardis, Finch Marketing Consultant.

Key Takeaways:

Conversion Rate Improvement: The speakers shared practical tips to increase conversion rates, from refining user experiences to creating compelling calls to action. Every touchpoint in the buying journey was analyzed, with a focus on reducing friction and encouraging customers to complete their purchases.

In the second session of our Creativity Meets eCommerce Strategy webinar series, Finch & Flocksy focused on the art of making every customer interaction count. Industry experts Alex Kennedy, Finch VP of Services, Adrian Brady-Cesana, CxChronicles founder, Charles Ryan, Flocksy COO, and David Pedrozo, Flocksy video and motion graphic artist team lead, explored how compelling visuals and engaging content can turn ordinary touchpoints into memorable experiences that drive loyalty and long-term growth

Our second webinar engaged the audience with practical advice and tips from industry experts. Touchpoints of the customer journey, or moments when prospective customers interact with a brand in any way, were the main topics of the webinar. Some examples of customer journey touchpoints might include a conversation with a customer service representative, reading reviews on a third-party website, or hearing about a brand from a friend or family member.

Kennedy said that optimizing every touchpoint for their business’s specific customer base allows Finch to create a customer journey that resonates at every step. 

Brady-Cesana agreed, adding that not giving enough attention to every area and designating who in your organization owns that touchpoint can lead to confusion and trouble. 

Ryan said brands that subscribe to Flocksy’s services often come to the business for help with making their marketing materials more cohesive. Flocksy’s artists, designers and writers help them tie their disparate brand elements together, he said. 

“It’s definitely a struggle a lot of businesses face,” Ryan said. 

Brady-Cesana said his company helps businesses by crafting maps of their entire customer journey, from consideration to loyalty. It’s a step that initially induces skepticism but ends up pointing out areas where more attention is needed. 

Two things that help companies optimize their customer journeys are getting everyone involved and making sure everyone feels ownership of the process.

Involving others outside of the executive team is crucial, Kennedy said, because just the top-level view isn’t enough to give your company insight into the entire journey.

The webinar’s speakers named creativity, customization and personalization as some of the most important elements to optimization of the customer journey. 

Creativity isn’t about always making avant garde art, Pedrozo said, but figuring out how to make the best possible project for the client. The way we share information with our audience is powerful and can lead to them becoming allies and advocates, he said. 

Webinar moderator Sarah Fitzgerald told a story of a hotel stay where employees took care to know her name and her preferences, leaving her feeling cared for and like royalty. 

Large companies often struggle with providing that level of personalization, Brady-Cesana said. Empowering employees to have access to customers’ names and preferences will help them feel like they have a relationship and a partnership with the brand, he added.

Constant collaboration and communication are necessary for keeping creative and operational efforts aligned, Ryan said. 

Three things to sort out for the greatest success include:

• Who each employee should go to for what
• When to contact someone and when to handle it yourself
• Encourage people to be proactive and address client concerns before they become an issue. 

“At the end of the day it’s just people dealing with people,” Ryan said. “You need to talk to people, collaborate, and touch base with one another.”

Key Takeaways:

Crafting Compelling Visuals & Content: Effective customer interactions begin with captivating visuals and engaging content. We discussed how these elements work together to grab attention, foster connection, and keep customers coming back for more.

Fostering Loyalty Through Key Touchpoints: Every interaction, whether big or small, contributes to the customer’s perception of your brand. We highlighted the importance of prioritizing what matters most at each touchpoint to build lasting loyalty.

Aligning Creativity with Performance: The session also provided practical tips for ensuring that your creative efforts are not just visually appealing, but also aligned with performance goals. By maximizing the impact of your content, you can drive both engagement and results.

This session was designed for eCommerce professionals, marketing leaders, and business owners eager to enhance customer interactions and create experiences that stick. 

Stay tuned for the next webinar in our series as we continue to unlock more insights and strategies for eCommerce success! Sign up here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6521963667930603099

About Finch and Flocksy: 

Finch specializes in crafting killer marketing strategies that remove friction from the customer journey, using the right people, the right process, and the right technology. Since 2016, Flocksy has been the most affordable unlimited marketing materials platform, helping brands create high-quality, on-brand content that captivates audiences and drives real results. Together, we empower businesses and agencies to achieve growth by blending expertise, creativity, and seamless collaboration.