Much is being said these days about how marketing effectiveness can be increased by targeting customers with the right message at the right time based on customer behaviors and buying patterns.

However, many companies have not been able to evolve past text-based confirmation messages. There are various reasons why this may be the case. It is often difficult to report on offers generated by this type of event-based effort. Many marketers believe that the expense and work of adding marketing promotional messages into their transactional emails isn't worth the effort.

Knowing what to look for in on-demand software

Driven by the desire to reduce infrastructure costs and reallocate those funds into marketing, merchandising, and customer acquisition, retailers are moving away from licensing or building their own software platforms in favor of on-demand software, also known as software as a service. While the primary attractions of the on-demand model are standardized features and functionality, and speedier development and implementation cycles for upgraded versions, retailers still need to perform due diligence when selecting the appropriate vendor.

E-mail is one of the most powerful marketing tools you have. But marketers who focus solely on e-mail to build an ongoing relationship with their customers may be leaving money on the table. Responsys research indicates that a customer who receives both e-mail and direct mail will typically spend 10% to 20% more than a customer who was approached through a single channel.

For the last year and a half at Forrester, I was incubating the idea of the “online marketing suite.” Yes, I did author the Forrester Big Idea, “The Marketing Technology Backbone” in 2004 and I’m not dismissing the idea now — I still believe in the vision. I just don’t believe that most marketing organizations are ready to swallow it. There are too many barriers including the (to name a few):

*Structure of the organization and all of the competing fiefdoms.