Issue #24 - The change keeps coming, let’s try and keep up shall we?
In This Issue: Vile Rumour & Gossip | Intent vs Nurture | Props to Visa | Customer Consent - 2025’s battleground
The reports from Shoptalk USA were inconclusive… more composable, more AI but actually less interesting. Has the commoditisation of digital taken hold? A fast checkout and 100% uptime are now table stakes?
Vile Rumour & Gossip
Is the market in lockdown?
There is (no doubt) a perception that the market is slow, that online customers are not replatforming, not buying software, and definitely not buying services. Wrong, I’m afraid. We are pretty well connected, and it seems to us that the pace of change is picking up. eCommerce platforms last longer for sure, but the Magento 2 customers will move, so too the SFCC clients (that GMV is killing them). Moreover, there are big opportunities in CDP, POS, OMS and the world of AI content production. PIM remains a risky project, but these projects are being tackled. What has happened is that the vendors who have it wrong and haven’t nurtured properly are suffering. Ego and arrogance have come home to roost.
Sweat the resource.
In general, all SaaS will have smaller GTM teams for the next 24 months and yet, VC will demand the same growth numbers as 2023. While many struggle in an incredibly competitive market, more vendors continue to pile into our sector (digital, in case you missed that). So, marketing will need help to run all those in-house events, sales will be losing SDR headcount and yet will still need feeding, and partnership teams will be smaller (unless you have it nailed in which case these are growing… looking at Talon One as always). The key will be focus and teamwork. No more feuding over regional budgets and outsourcing where you can flex quickly.
Find a job, any job with a good culture.
In a world where a number have been made redundant, networks are being leveraged to find the next gig. Some we know are going through the interview process aware they’d rather be the comedian at an award ceremony than actually take the job.
One marketing role we came across recently has been open for 5 months (a lifetime in the current climate). So tough are the metrics and so bad the rumour mill about the company concerned, that the good candidates are staying away, or just going through the motions. Our constant reminder of paying it forward and supporting your network is truer than ever currently. No role is worth a poisonous culture.
Intent vs Nurture
We had a timely reminder last week of the power that “Nurture” has. We are well known for being a little suspicious of intent data. Any Chris Walker devotee out there will know by now that 6sense intent data can easily be caused by any interaction. Indeed we know for a fact that in October 2021 a 6sense trigger was enacted following some delicious ABM action from our team, which resulted in a hilarious conversation with our client about lead source.
Nurture then. Since October 2021 the UK sales team at this client has done just that. Diligently staying in touch somewhere in the sales cycle, including 2 false starts, this lead closed in March 2024. That’s 29 months of nurture! That can be dinner, hospitality or just a phone call… remember those?
We implore you to think beyond the 3-month window, and get nurturing… it pays off we promise.
Props to Visa
Yes, they’re our friends, but they deserve real props for the launch of their Acceptance Platform. In a world where we see big tech failing constantly to be innovative, Visa has delivered.
The key (of course) will be delivering on marketing and sales. But the idea of a middleware platform with a pre-integrated payments ecosystem of 100+ vendors, 200+ ISV’s and all Visa merchants is pretty powerful. Add in connections to the new iPaaS vendors and you’ve got a killer app.
Hold my pint.
Customer Consent - 2025’s battleground
Shoptalk 2024 Las Vegas was a bit dull for content. Speaker lineup for the first time didn’t inspire, but our access to customers and their concerns is bubbling with a new challenge.
The biggest action in digital is happening in the world of customer consent. With comprehensive privacy legislation of some form in 15 US states happening this year (and another 18 or so in the works), it seems that consent is about to become much more complex.
Many online leaders are thinking hard about how they treat both the need to cope with this, coupled with the need to make their whole CX more interesting. We hear a crying out for better brand experiences coupled with greater relevancy. Think about a customer data matrix with consent, segmentation, zero-party gamified learnings and a good profile… it’s a brand marketer's dream.
Believe us - It’s 100% a vendor opportunity.
Buyingtime Dictionary
Frequently used (but never about you) phrases from Buyingtime Ltd.
One-Cheek
/wʌn' tʃiːk/
adjective
1. Does everything half-arsed
"This one is no laughing matter. Don't just take your mug, put everything in the dishwasher away. All of it. Fu*king one-cheek."
