Why is this type of insight becoming increasingly important for retailers and brands? What trends are you observing?
Kasem: A huge change is taking place with retailer apps: Offers are becoming more and more personalized, meaning that one user receives completely different discounts on certain products than another user. This degree of individualization can only be achieved through targeting on the smartphone.
On the one hand, this happens because providers have more and more data, for example on shopping behaviour, and can therefore personalize their offers in a more targeted way. On the other hand, it has been proven that personalized coupons work better on average than non-personalized ones. This is logical: if I offer coupons for diapers to all users, they are not nearly as effective as if I use them to specifically target parents. If you do individual targeting well, you can use the app to attract people to your store pretty effectively.
What developments are you observing in the mobile commerce sector?
Kasem: This is difficult to predict in the long term, but at the moment we are seeing retailers pushing their own apps massively. New loyalty programs are being set up or existing ones optimized. There are many collaborations with cashback providers. Whether the trend will eventually move in a different direction – for example, one app for everything or an alternative to smartphones – remains to be seen.
How will AI change behavioral analysis in the future?
Kasem: We currently offer a traditional insights platform that provides our customers with statistics, graphics and provider comparisons. Our vision: an AI-supported Insights-as-a-Service platform that – instead of just providing data – gives concrete, automated recommendations for action. An example would be: “Provider XY has personalized its offers, which has had this effect. Adjust the following parameters to achieve similar success.” Retailers could even ask questions such as: “How do I increase sales of natural cosmetic lipsticks?” – and our AI provides targeted answers.
An AI can only ever be as good as the database. Thanks to our unique data from retailer apps and consumer behavior, this vision is becoming reality: intelligent insights that not only inform, but also directly enable action.