Google India is all set to launch a new payment app called ‘Tez’ (Hindi for fast). Tez is a multi-layered app that will offer a comprehensive set of payment options in India. It will include support for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as well as other consumer payment services, including Paytm and MobiKwik. [Source: Mint]
Apple announced the release of its ARKit, a set of software tools that makes possible high-quality augmented reality (AR) seen through Apple iPhones and iPads. It overlays 3D graphics, animation and photo-realistic objects on what we used to call the real world, in ways that take the next step beyond the Pokémon Go phenomenon last year. [Source: Marketing Land]
In an effort to consolidate data while providing each advertiser their own important KPI stats, Google is launching dashboards within their AdWords product. The difference with customization “Home” modules and “dashboard” information is that instead of enabling standardized modules, dashboards will allow for customizable tables and charts that can be created from scratch on the spot. [Source: Search Engine Land]
Just like Houseparty, Bonfire enables you to participate in group chats with friends – but importantly, as noted by TechCrunch, you don’t actually have to download the app to participate. Facebook has cleverly added an option to invite friends to participate in a chat via Messenger, which means you can add in anyone direct from a Messenger link, without them needing to have Bonfire specifically installed. [Source: Social Media Today]
Facebook wants to turn Instagram Stories into the next big ad platform, and is trying to get brands of all sizes embrace it. The company unveiled a number of updates that make it easier for brands and businesses of all sizes to advertise on the platform, including a new uploading tool that lets marketers who already produce Instagram Stories to repurpose them as paid ads. [Source: Business Insider]
Google is making changes to the way it captures and reports on conversions in AdWords in response to Apple’s coming Safari update. [Source: Search Engine Land]
Facebook unveiled a new creative format for the Collection ad format it debuted in March. Collection is aimed at using video to help retailers drive sales, with the ad units consisting of a video on top and four recommended products below. [Source: Adweek]
Over the past year, Facebook’s been skirting around the definition of what it is – or more specifically, Facebook’s actively worked to avoid being labeled a media company. And that makes sense – Facebook sees itself as more of a facilitator, a platform for anyone to share their voice. They don’t make editorial decisions, they simply provide the tools through which to share content. [Source: Social Media Today]
Facebook announced a sweeping overhaul of its self-serve ad-buying tools and ad placement options. At the heart of recent changes is the merger of Facebook’s two self-serve ad-buying tools, Power Editor and Ads Manager, into one. [Source: Marketing Land]
Google has quietly announced on Google+ that it will be killing off some of the App Indexing features within the Google Search Console. Specifically, Google is turning off the Fetch As Google for Apps feature to “avoid unnecessary duplication” with what is available within the Firebase help documentation. [Source: Search Engine Land]
Expert Opinion:
– Customer feedback and experience is the best way to measure omnichannel experience
Marketers worldwide have and continue to adopt the omnichannel approach to provide a positive customer experience to users. An omnichannel experience involves more than just a purchase which reflects at the final step of the customer journey. They have started looking beyond quantitative metrics like conversion rates, transaction volumes, etc to understand the customer experience well. Although these metrics are positive performance indicators, they are not any longer used in isolation to measure the effectiveness of the omnichannel experience.
With the increasing popularity of an omnichannel model and its utilisation for providing best services to consumers across all touch points, it becomes crucial to correctly measure the effectiveness of customer experience. A recent Frost & Sullivan study showed that by 2020, omnichannel customer experience is projected to overtake price and product as a key brand differentiator.
These days, each purchase process involves a combination of digital as well as physical touch points. There is no single channel or touch point that showcases significant influence on the customers’ purchase decision. This is what makes marketers look at customer feedback and retention as more apt indicators for the effectiveness of their omnichannel strategies and activities.
As more and more companies are moving towards the omnichannel model, it is important for brands to adopt effective ways of measuring customer experience and making changes wherever needed. This way they can ensure that they are continuously delivering top-notch experience to their users and stay ahead in the competitive market. Incorporating customer feedback in marketing activities can prove to be very beneficial for long-term growth and success of brands.
