Retail Communication Channels

AI was supposed to "kill affiliate marketing." Instead, it exposed why humans still run the internet. Here's the proof: Levanta surveyed 1,000+ shoppers who actively use AI tools. All of them use AI for product research. Yet only 10% actually click the links AI recommends. Think about that. 90% of users don't actually make their final purchase decision from AI. Here's what they do instead: 87% discover products on social platforms, blogs, or community sites → then buy on marketplaces 93% trust marketplace reviews more than AI assistants 86% trust YouTube creators more than AI recommendations And here's the thing: 62% purchase within 24 hours of discovering products through trusted content. Look, we're all obsessed with AI right now. And there's merit to it. But when it comes to shopping? To trust? To actual conversions? Humans are still at the core. I've been watching brands pour everything into AI chatbots while their competitors quietly invest in creator partnerships. Guess who's winning. The data shows us: AI aggregates information. Humans create trust. And trust still converts better than any algorithm. What's really happening: • Shoppers use AI to narrow options • Turn to creators to validate choices • Buy based on human endorsement Affiliate content now does double duty: ↳ Shapes what AI recommends ↳ Drives the actual sale Even better? 78% of consumers are neutral or positive about affiliate disclosures. Transparency isn't killing trust. Fake authenticity is. Don't overindex on AI just because everyone else is. The brands winning in 2025 won't have the best AI. They'll have the best humans telling their story. Get Levanta's full Affiliate 3.0 Report: https://lnkd.in/giG-GeHD

How can retailers activate in-store experiences that can scale efficiently and measure incremental impact? 🤝 In-store media requires cross-functional collaboration across marketing, merchandising, and retail media teams. Merchant alignment is essential to ensure in-store media supports broader category goals, promotions, and pricing strategies. However, fragmentation between teams often leads to inconsistent execution. 💰 High upfront investment in digital screens, infrastructure, and maintenance makes scalability a challenge. Retailers must balance technology costs with expected ROI. Additionally, ensuring planogram compliance and optimizing store layouts for maximum visibility and shopper impact requires coordination across teams. 📊 In-store media success is evaluated through POS data, sales lift analysis, customer sentiment surveys, and match market tests. These methods help brands understand the impact on purchasing behavior, optimize budgets, and refine in-store strategies. 🐢 Crawl Phase: Retailers should pilot technologies, gather initial data, and build a scalable business model while training teams and refining measurement approaches. Early-stage collaboration with merchants ensures that in-store media aligns with overall store operations and merchandising priorities. 🚶 Walk Phase: Use data insights to optimize content, improve store-level targeting, and scale successful pilots. Refining planograms and integrating in-store media with category management strategies help maximize effectiveness. Introduce advanced features like interactive displays, mobile integration, and AI-driven recommendations to enhance engagement. 🏃 Run Phase: Fully integrate online and in-store strategies to create seamless in-store experiences that can measure omnichannel impact. Collaborate closely with merchants, store operations, and category managers to ensure store layouts, promotions, and digital touchpoints work together.

Customers expect seamless interactions across every channel, whether they’re online, in-store, or on social media. While this is the backbone of customer satisfaction and loyalty, ensuring that every interaction feels seamless and personalized can often be a challenge. It’s not just about solving problems as they arise but also about truly understanding your customers' journeys, addressing their pain points, and creating a unified experience across all platforms. So, how do we make this happen? Here are five steps to delivering a consistent omnichannel experience: 1. Know Your Customer Understanding your customers’ preferences, behaviors, and challenges is the foundation of a great omnichannel strategy. Dive deep into your customer data to truly know who they are and what they need. 2. Integrate Your Systems Seamless integration between your systems ensures smooth communication and data sharing across all channels. This prevents disjointed experiences and empowers your team with the right insights at the right time. 3. Maintain a Consistent Brand Image Whether it’s a social media post, an in-store interaction, or an email campaign, your brand identity should remain consistent. A cohesive message builds trust and reinforces your brand’s promise. 4. Create Seamless Customer Journeys Transitions between channels should feel effortless. Customers shouldn’t feel like they’re jumping between disconnected silos but rather engaging with one cohesive system. 5. Implement Personalization Strategies Customers expect personalization. Tailor your offerings, interactions, and messaging to each customer to make them feel valued and understood. Are these steps easy to implement? Not always. I believe that just as empathy in customer service requires ongoing effort and training, delivering a consistent omnichannel experience demands constant evaluation, refinement, and investment. But the payoff is undeniable nevertheless – you realize that stronger customer loyalty, better brand reputation, and more meaningful connections with your audience. What’s your biggest challenge in creating a seamless omnichannel experience? Share your thoughts or insights in the comments. We’d love to learn from your journey! #CustomerExperience #Omnichannel #CustomerJourney #EmpathyInBusiness #CX #KSA

Using Meta Ads to Drive eCommerce Sales Understanding Your Audience: Begin by analyzing your target audience's demographics, interests, and behavior to create personalized ad campaigns on Meta platforms that resonate with potential customers and drive sales. Compelling Visuals & Copy: Utilize high-quality images or videos along with engaging ad copy that highlights your products' unique selling points, benefits, and offers to capture users' attention and encourage them to make a purchase. Retargeting Strategies: Implement dynamic product ads to retarget users who have previously visited your eCommerce website or shown interest in your products, reminding them of their potential purchase and increasing conversion rates. Leveraging Carousel Ads: Showcase a variety of products, styles, or features through carousel ads to provide a more interactive and engaging experience for users, ultimately leading to higher click-through rates and conversions. Utilizing Lookalike Audiences: Expand your reach by targeting users who share similarities with your existing customer base through lookalike audience targeting, increasing the likelihood of driving sales from a new pool of potential customers. Optimizing for Mobile: Ensure that your Meta ads are optimized for mobile devices, considering the increasing trend of mobile shopping, and providing a seamless user experience that encourages quick and convenient purchases. Implementing A/B Testing: Continuously test different ad creatives, formats, and targeting options to identify the most effective strategies that drive eCommerce sales on Meta platforms and maximize your return on investment. Monitoring & Analyzing Performance: Regularly monitor key metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and return on ad spend to assess the effectiveness of your Meta ad campaigns and make data-driven adjustments for improved results. Scaling Successful Campaigns: Identify top-performing ad campaigns and scale them by increasing budgets, expanding targeting, or exploring new ad formats to further boost eCommerce sales through Meta ads. Summary: By understanding your audience, creating compelling visuals and copy, utilizing retargeting strategies, carousel ads, lookalike audiences, mobile optimization, A/B testing, performance monitoring, and scaling successful campaigns, eCommerce brands can effectively drive sales through Meta ads and achieve significant growth in their online sales performance. #MetaAds, #eCommerceMarketing, #OnlineSales, #SocialMediaAds, #DigitalAdvertising, #AdCampaigns, #SalesBoost, #CustomerEngagement, #AdTargeting, #MarketingStrategy

If more of your store sales start on TikTok lately, you might wanna read this. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦. The checkout happens in-store. But the sale happens everywhere else. Here's the reality: This year 60%+, and in 2027, 70% of retail sales will be digitally influenced. I can't emphasize this enough; here's what most brands miss—digital influence isn't just about online sales. It's about shaping every moment before the customer even walks into your store. L'Oréal cracked this code: 100M+ AR try-on sessions driving real conversions. 31 brands orchestrating seamless experiences across 72 countries. No.1 in beauty influencer marketing (29% market share), 20-80% higher conversion rates through enhanced digital experiences. The new customer journey isn't linear—it's layered: - They discover you on social - Research you through reviews and UGC - Try your product virtually through AR - Get retargeted with personalized content - Finally purchase in-store (feeling confident they're making the right choice) Every touchpoint matters, and every interaction influences the final decision. The brands winning today aren't just selling products—they're orchestrating experiences across owned, paid, and earned media that guide customers from curiosity to checkout. Digital discovery is increasingly pay-to-play and shoppers are paying attention. ++ Tactical Recommendations for CPG / FMCG Brands ++ 1. Beyond just having perfect, high SOV product pages, create discovery ecosystems. - Optimize for "zero-moment-of-truth" searches. - Activate shoppable content at scale. - Leverage user-generated content as social proof. Brands that do these see a 35% higher conversion rate from digital touchpoints to in-store purchases. 2. Connect digital engagement directly to retail execution. - Geo-target digital campaigns to drive foot traffic - Create "store-specific" digital content CPG brands using geo-targeted social ads see a 23% higher in-store sales lift in targeted markets. 3. Most important one; stop flying blind—measure digital influence on offline sales. - Implement unique promo codes for each digital touchpoint to track conversion paths. - Use customer surveys at point of purchase. - Partner with retailers on shared data insights Brands with proper attribution see 15-25% improvement in marketing ROI within 12 months. 𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 ecommert® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟰,𝟲𝟬𝟬+ 𝗖𝗣𝗚, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘁® : 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. #CPG #FMCG #AI #ecommerce Procter & Gamble PepsiCo Unilever The Coca-Cola Company Nestlé Mondelēz International Kraft Heinz Ferrero Mars Colgate-Palmolive Henkel Bayer Haleon Kenvue The HEINEKEN Company Carlsberg Group Philips Samsung Electronics Panasonic North America

In retail, many chase the next big thing—a new style, a new way to reach consumers—triggering a frantic race to adopt. But most trends fade as fast as they appear. The real game-changers are curated habits that prove they can stand the test of time. I’ve championed social commerce as the future of retail for over a decade. In hindsight, that barely scratches the surface. It’s now a deeply ingrained consumer behavior. The imperative isn’t just to adopt it, but to evolve with it—constantly and intentionally. At HSN, social commerce was core to our strategy. We pioneered the blend of shopping and entertainment. That’s the essence: finding the sweet spot where entertainment, connection, and commerce converge. Soon after, platforms like Twitch began enabling users to both game and shop in real time, blending entertainment with commerce. Fanatics has successfully leaned into this model as well, immersing fans in live experiences while showcasing gear in action, often worn by their favorite athletes and community, turning fandom into a powerful trust signal. More recently, TikTok Shop collapsed the purchase funnel into a single scroll. It's no longer discover, then buy. Now, it’s see it, want it, buy it—seamlessly, in-platform. So, as we look ahead, how do I see this "social commerce habit" evolving? Here's what I expect: 🔹 Creator Integration is Non-Negotiable. For Gen Z, in particular, TikTok Shop has become a primary discovery engine. They trust their favorite creators to genuinely try products and offer honest feedback. The more brands lean into authentic partnerships with creators, the more trust they build in this integrated shopping experience. It’s about relationship-driven commerce. 🔹 Embrace a Zero-Click World. Speed and simplicity are paramount. Consumers need to be able to see, buy, and receive as fast as humanly possible. This means minimal clicks, minimal friction, and no moments for reconsideration. It's about instant gratification and removing all barriers between desire and ownership. 🔹 Elevate Live Shopping. This is a powerful return to the personal connection and real-time interaction that defined the best of traditional retail. Shoppable videos and live sessions transform social media into a personalized shopping aisle. Imagine experts demonstrating products, showing how they fit or can be styled, all in real-time, tailored to your interests. It brings humanity back to digital retail. 🔹 Unlock the Power of Virtual Try-Ons. A longstanding hurdle in e-commerce is "try before you buy." AI-enabled virtual try-on features solves that, making online shopping more immersive and convenient. This translates directly into higher conversion rates, deeper engagement, and customers spending more valuable time interacting with your brand digitally. It’s time to stop treating social commerce like a trend. This is commerce, full stop. It’s a fundamental consumer behavior that belongs at the center of every modern retail strategy.

Gen Z treats products as identity signals. Cheap or expensive, and buys on the basis of values, aesthetics, virality and social belonging. That combination (values + visuals + platform-driven virality) is forcing legacy luxury brands to change looks, formats, channels and even stated values if they want to keep relevance and future revenue. Below I explain the psychology, linked to purchase behaviors, so you better understand movement behind the scenes ;) 1.-Social Identity theory (Tajfel & Turner) People define themselves by group memberships; Gen Z purchases signal membership in groups (eco-conscious, “aesthetic” subcultures, TikTok micro-tribes). 2.-Self-concept / Ideal-Self Theory Consumers buy products that help them become (or appear as) their ideal self; beauty is literally a tool for self-image construction. 3.-Symbolic consumption / Identity-based consumption Brands and packages are symbolic resources; consumers choose brands whose symbolism matches their identity. 4.-Impression management Buying and showing off products (on TikTok/Instagram) manages how others perceive you. (Closely tied to symbolic consumption.) 5.-Social comparison theory Gen Z compares against highly curated influencer imagery and mimics trends (e.g., “glass skin”, scent layering). 6.-Theory of planned behavior (TPB) Attitudes, norms (what peers use), and perceived control predict purchase intention; social norms on platforms drive intentions strongly. 7.-Cognitive dissonance & authenticity demand. Gen Z rejects brands whose stated values don’t match actions; they punish “greenwashing” and reward demonstrable sustainability. >>To connect with Gen Z<< Brands must balance accessibility, authenticity, and agility. Creating low-friction entry tiers, smaller, social-friendly products, lets younger consumers engage without high price barriers. Brands should make sustainability tangible through refill programs and verified impact claims, avoiding vague eco-language. They must also design for shareability, with packaging, names, and textures made for social media storytelling. Partnering with creators and micro-influencers builds credibility and cultural relevance more effectively than traditional celebrity endorsements. Finally, investing in social listening and rapid innovation helps brands spot trends early and test concepts through pop-ups and D2C channels, keeping heritage labels fresh in a Gen Z–driven market. Short conclusion: Gen Z uses beauty products to express identity, values, and social belonging. Luxury brands must adapt with accessible, shareable, and sustainable products, collaborate with micro-creators, and innovate quickly to stay relevant and connected in a fast-moving, values-driven market. Find my curated search of examples and get inspired for your next HIT! Featured brands: LVMH Hermes Dior Versace Prada Gucci Chanel #luxurybusiness #luxuryprofessionals #beautybusiness #beautyprofesionals #genZ

Inflation often forces businesses into a dilemma—raise prices and risk losing customers, or keep prices stable and shrink margins. But what if data could help strike the perfect balance? 🚀 Challenge: Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce platforms, noticed fluctuating customer retention rates and declining repeat purchases, especially during inflationary periods. Traditional deep-discount campaigns led to short-term sales spikes but failed to build long-term customer loyalty. 🔎 Solution: Data-Driven Discounting Strategy Flipkart’s analytics team uncovered a key insight: Small, frequent discounts (e.g., 5-10% on repeat purchases) led to higher engagement. Personalized offers based on purchase history encouraged repeat buys. A/B testing revealed that customers preferred consistency over occasional deep discounts. 💡 Implementation: Using AI-driven dynamic pricing, Flipkart rolled out: ✅ Tiered discounts for loyal customers. ✅ AI-powered coupon recommendations. ✅ Targeted email campaigns promoting small, time-sensitive discounts. 📈 Results: After three months of testing, Flipkart saw: ✔️ 17% increase in repeat purchases ✔️ 12% uplift in customer retention ✔️ Higher profit margins vs. deep discounting 🎯 Key Takeaway: In an inflationary environment, data-driven pricing isn't just about maximizing revenue—it’s about customer psychology. Businesses that personalize their offers and optimize discounts intelligently can boost retention while protecting margins. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔? #datadrivendecisionmaking #DataAnalytics #DiscountStrategy #BusinessStrategies

Did you know that 95% of urban holiday shoppers in India research products online before visiting a store? The question for luxury brands is: How do you convert these online visitors into loyal offline customers? For luxury brands, the challenge isn’t choosing between online and offline—it’s blending them to create seamless, personalized experiences that retain the exclusivity and allure of the luxury segment. Here are five strategies luxury brands in India can adopt:   1️⃣ The In-Store Experience Luxury shopping is all about the experience. While not every store can replicate Louis Vuitton (see pics), brands can still focus on creating immersive spaces. 🔵 Design stores as places where customers connect with the brand, not just the products. 🔵 Host art installations, pop-ups, or workshops. 🔵 Enable online fulfilment so customers can explore products in-store and complete purchases later online.   2️⃣ Use Technology Not every brand can afford cutting-edge AR or VR tools, but simpler technologies can also elevate the customer journey. Install tablets or interactive screens to offer customisation options like unique designs or personalised engravings. 3️⃣ Leverage Data Online data, like browsing habits and purchase history, can help create tailored in-store experiences. Imagine a scenario where a customer books an appointment, and the staff has pre-selected items based on their online activity. 🔵 Invest in CRM systems to collect and analyze customer data. 🔵 Train staff to use this data for personalized service. 🔵 Send timely notifications about new arrivals or events that align with customer preferences. 4️⃣ Omnichannel Integration The boundaries between online and offline are increasingly blurred. A customer might discover a product on Instagram, research it on your website, and then visit your store to complete the purchase. 🔵 Interconnect all channels—online and offline—for a unified experience. 🔵 Offer features like appointment booking, product reservations, and virtual consultations. 🔵 Provide flexible options, including in-store pickups and home delivery. 5️⃣ Redefine the Role of Sales Staff In the “phygital” era, sales staff are not just sellers—they are brand ambassadors and trusted advisors. 🔵 Train them to align service with the brand’s online interactions. 🔵 Equip them with tools to access customer profiles and preferences. 🔵 Focus on building long-term relationships rather than closing immediate sales. The future of luxury retail lies in combining the strengths of digital convenience and physical presence. By investing in technology, adopting data-driven personalization, and rethinking store roles, luxury brands can create unforgettable customer experiences that build lasting loyalty. In a world where expectations are constantly evolving, the brands that can master this digital-physical intersection will set the standard for the luxury market of tomorrow. #omnichannelretail #luxuryretail

How Influencer Marketers Can Support Their Growth and Media Buying Teams Instead of Just Focusing On Organic Social Awareness. Most influencer marketers only focus on strengthening brand and awareness with their influencer partnerships and are sitting on unfound revenue. Here are the two most powerful campaigns that influencer marketers should be focusing on to strengthen brand AND drive revenue: paid influencer affiliate + whitelisting campaigns. Here's why this combo is crushing it for DTC brands: 1. Unlock a new high margin revenue channel through affiliate Make sure that influencers have a high engagement rate, engaged community, and have experience driving affiliate sales for other brands. Pro tip: Negotiate hybrid payment terms for MINIMUM deliverables that gives them a path to earning more than their standard rate Here's what that looks like.. - negotiate a fee equal to 50% of their standard rate - 20% commission on sales - bonuses that ladder up for hitting revenue targets - auto renewal for hitting an ROI target. This will protect you from spending budget on influencer partnerships that don't deliver a healthy ROI. With commissions, bonuses, and and auto renewal - most influencers will post more content until the targets are met. This will lead to developing long term relationships with paid affiliates that drive high margin revenue for your brand. 2. 50+/mo High Converting Whitelisting Ads → Run ads directly from creator accounts → Higher trust + lower CPMs → Authentic social proof at scale → Higher ROAS Now your team will see you as an ad production funnel producing them fresh creative monthly that's high converting while testing new angles, concepts, and formats. This is the best way to widen your ad creative diversity with storytelling and social proof. - The more opportunities you can provide to creators to monetize their content the happier they'll be. Influencer marketers are usually sitting on influencer relationships that would be a good fit to drive affiliate or whitelisting revenue. The blocker is breaking down walls internally so that your efforts can support your paid/growth team. Schedule a meeting with them and show off your top influencer partnerships, content, and a plan on how you can start funneling them high converting influencer whitelisting ads monthly. A simple meeting could bridge the gap to getting more budget or a path to driving revenue from your influencer marketing strategy.