Speaker Bio

Jeff Clark

Managing Director, Engage Digital

Jeff is responsible for the Australian and New Zealand operation of Engage Digital, a partner of Silverpop who is a global provider of engagement marketing and campaign automation software provider.

Jeff works with Silverpop customers to develop their engagement programs.  He has an extensive background in marketing, consulting and technology over 20 years and has a science degree with postgraduate studies from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Jeff's Presentation Thoughts

We asked Jeff the following questions about his upcoming presentation at Online Retailer. Here are his responses...

Please summarise the content of your session (in your own words):
I'll look at different ways retailers can stay ahead of competitors by offering tips and tricks to avoid flooding inboxes, ensure marketing messages are received and avoid being reported as spam. The presentation will also highlight the top seven new 'can't-miss' email marketing tactics, which will help Aussie retailers position themselves above their peers.
Attendees will also get a good overview of the results of Silverpop's Top 100 Online Retailer email marketing study, which shows the habits (good and bad) of the best retailers in Australia. We'll also compare these results to the US Top 500 Online Retailers, which will make for interesting discussion.

What can attendees expect to take away from your session?
An understanding about how to:
- Secure customer comments and create brand ambassadors
- Capture lost revenue through a cart abandonment program
- Send your customers the right message at the right time
- Adapt your program to incorporate SMS

The hottest thing in online retailing right now is:
Definitely the hottest thing in online retailing right now has to be tailoring our marketing activities by knowing our customer. Gone are the days when one message was deemed fit for all. With an ever expanding competitive market, retailers are looking for ways to stay ahead of the pack - collecting reviews, building customer profiles, tailoring emails and SMS messages to ensure the customer is receiving the information they need, at the time they are most available, to buy, buy, buy! Isn't that what we are all looking for?

The biggest danger in online retailing is:
Getting lost in the crowd. No doubt this is the biggest problem facing retailers. Each day another retailer branches into the e-tailing world and each day the competition gets tougher. Just as shopping centres expand, so too does the e-tail market. Not too long ago, simply being 'online' gave retailers a competitive edge.
Nowadays, we must find ways and tools to stand out from the competition, ensure our customers receive personal, specific marketing messages in order to drive the best results.

Some of the best examples of online retail best practice are:
I think one to look at as a great international example is Gap. They also own Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime and Athleta. They have a good sign up process, offer choices about items you may be interested in and other brands, a nice welcome program with a time based offer to get you started on the purchase process. Their program is highly personalised and segmented, incorporate social media into their emails to grow their subscribers and drive their offers further and much more. Sign up and enjoy.