Chitra Iyer

Customers and technology have evolved so much that loyalty programs need to make a transformative leap to keep up. It’s not about more points. Think subscriptions, experiences, collaboration and the metaverse instead.But there’s a twist. Customers expect "brand loyalty" as much as brands want "customer loyalty." Can next-gen loyalty programs deliver that balance?
Loyalty programs are a proven way to drive retention and boost customer lifetime value...

Gen Z is set to be the largest consumer demographic for the next 30-odd years, and the ‘CX wars’ for their attention and loyalty have reached fever pitch. But legacy brands are missing something. A valuable upstream opportunity that could outsize their marketing and CX outcomes. That opportunity is customer data privacy.

Here’s the rub. Legacy brands, used to marketing to Gen X and millennials, are at risk of not only misreading Gen Z’s expectations on data privacy but also of missing the business opportunity it offers.

There’s a storm coming, and it’s going to hit US-based employers right at the intersection of HR, legal, compliance, employee experience, and information technology.
Consider these developments.
In July ...

Retail media is changing the game for retailers and advertisers alike. While online retail media is a hit, the real opportunity for grocery retailers lies with in monetizing in-store audiences. But where does that leave traditional money spinners such as trade marketing budget and shopper marketing budget which retailers are used to?

The ‘privacy experience’ is fast becoming a key component of the customer experience for leading customer-centric organizations.
Here are five emerging factors that are both challenges and opportunities ...

The Gist
Executed effectively, original research as content can bring in outsize ROI and sustain your content calendar for months. So, why aren’t 70% of marketers telling the story? Although it's the most trusted source for B2B buyers, fewer than 30% of content marketers generate their own original research, while nearly all writers incorporate others' statistics in their content. Because not all research is created equal. ...

Marketing and sales ops teams link strategy and execution because they have a superpower: they can make it easy for business teams to find, understand and use customer data to make smarter decisions. But these teams also have their kryptonite. Poor data access and processes can cause delays in go-to-market planning, impact the data-led competitive advantage of the business and, at ...

AI plus zero-party data is powerful. Rich insights from zero-party “small data” can help train better AI models that can be leveraged at scale. But like any other form of customer data collection, there are ground rules...

Private social networks are becoming more popular because they offer safer, more engaging spaces with no programmatic ads or intrusive targeting. Brands are interested in these platforms because they own the data and customer relationships, and there are more ways to monetize the community.
Here's a deep dive into how to crack those private socials!

I was introduced to product-led growth (PLG) when a client recently briefed me on a new “free” product they were launching. I made the mistake of thinking of it as a go-to-market (GTM) pricing tactic. Launch a free trial version, land and expand.
I was so wrong! It soon became clear that companies serious about PLG do not remotely think about it as a “slapping on a free trial version” tactic. Francis Brero, co-founder and chief product officer of B2B PLG platform MadKudu, defines PLG as an ap...

Consent management strategy has to be compliant with regulations, but also be tech-stack, user, brand, and customer friendly.
How can brands build a long-term consent management strategy that meets evolving regulations, scaling business needs, and changin...

Thanks to the catalytic events since 2020 and a broader reorienting from "pipeline" and "conversion" to "revenue generation," the dynamics between sales and marketing — the people and their tech stacks — will evolve in 2023.
I invited three industry pros to weigh in with rapid-fire insights to my questions on what’s next in sales tech and tried to analyze how they will impact marketers.
But first, here are three emerging sales tech themes to set the context:
1. Integrating Sales Tech and Mart...

The dark funnel...naysayers say what can’t be measured can’t be managed or improved. Supporters say it’s a part of the buying process, accept it or not. So, what’s an already overwhelmed B2B marketer to do?

Marketers care about what data they collect and what they do with it. But ignoring how data is being collected is a missed opportunity. The data collection experience can be a strategic differentiator in a market where everyone is focused on unlocking the value of data after it is collected.

The privacy paradox is real. A Pew Research study of over 4,000 Americans found that though over 81% of customers feel they lack any control over how companies collect and use their data, only 22% ever re...

How Relevant Are In-Store Shoppers For Retail Media?
Walk into any grocery store today, and you will encounter kiosks, digital screens flashing advertisements, and shelf panels and edges calling your attention. At coolers, smart doors and screens come to life when you stand before them, flashing prices, deals, and bundling reminders. Undoubtedly, they all improve the shopper experience and help make better buying decisions.
None of the conventional in-store digital signage today allows retail...