7 takeaways: What ABM can learn from the eCommerce Expo 2022

Team 7E recently attended the eCommerce Expo and Technology for Marketing at ExCel London. The event offered an opportunity to hear from and network with world-leading brand leaders and the industry’s most innovative solution providers to deliver services and solutions critical to business strategy.

We are particularly interested in B2B / marketing technologies; however, keeping abreast of emerging trends in the world of D2C is also highly relevant as there are strategies, tactics and tools that can be incorporated within account-based marketing. Using ABM focuses your targeting approach, gains leads and improves ROI, and makes engaging with multiple decision-makers for a single deal far more attainable.

So what can ABM learn from the eCommerce Expo 2022? We’ve formulated 7 key ABM-applicable themes;

1. Personalisation
2. Automation
3. Data
4. AI
5. Sustainability
6. Funnel – UX / CX / CRO
7. SEO

Personalisation

Personalisation is hugely relevant as ABM is often centred around 1-2-1, 1-2-few, as well as 1-to-many.

ABM is an essential strategy to adopt if you’re selling high-value B2B products and services to companies with several decision-makers. Implementing ABM requires a high level of personalisation in order to be successful. Using insights like intent data to personalise based on persona and/or industry challenges and goals allow you to understand the market in which the account operates, the opportunities available, the threats it faces, its competitive landscape, and what makes it unique to its market.

Using ABM automation tools is the key to scaling these efforts, providing optimised personalisation, delivering new experiences online and appealing to a wider scope of stakeholders and decision-makers (see next point).

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on Personalisation

1. Personalisation Driven by Prediction

Keynote speakers:

• Gabriel Hughes, CEO – Metageni 

2. Personalisation in B2B – moving from what to how – what’s working now

Keynote speakers:

• Kirsty Dawe, CEO – Webeo

3. How hyper-personalization and AI are reshaping marketing

Keynote speakers:

• Maciej Ossowski, Director of GetResponse MAX and Board Member – GetResponse 

Automation

Ecommerce brands are already relying extensively on smart software to do everyday tasks, such as updating offers, distributing content, tracking financial activity, monitoring sentiment, managing payroll, and recommending products. 

Marketing automation solutions have made ABM more measurable and affordable for businesses of all sizes, allowing you to provide personalised, immediate outreach with valuable content which is more likely to push visitors down the sales funnel. 

Automation tools accessible to ABM systems can adjust emails, ads, and landing pages to cater to individual clients. They gather data on any prospect that can yield relevant information, like their previous interactions with your company, the location at which they responded to your message, and their level of authority on the subject.

The notable benefits of ABM automation include;

• Scalable acquisition strategy
• Shorter sales cycle
• Stronger customer retention
• Clearer and increased ROI
• Improved marketing data
• Fewer wasted resources
• Improved sales and marketing team alignment

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on Automation

1. Partner Marketing Automation Reinvented Together with Google

Keynote speakers:

• Mike Cotton, Sales Director, EMEA – Impartner Software
• John Lojek, Strategic Partnerships – google
• Daan Mannaerts, Business Development Director, Google Ads – Impartner

2. How can brands and agencies leverage Creative Automation to deliver personalized and localized marketing campaigns at hyper-speed?

Keynote speakers:

• Kevin Goeminne, CEO – Chili Publish
• David Russell, Managing Director – Oliver Agency

4. How to fully automate a customer journey; from prospect to lead to returning customer

Keynote speakers:

• Varun Gujral, Global Marketing Automation Manager – JLL

Data

Ecommerce data is plentiful, yet only a few brands are using it to drive significant and sustainable growth. In 2022, data can be leveraged to improve every touchpoint of the customer experience.

It is now evident that many platforms are attempting to move away from cookie tracking and instead focus on IP tracking where possible. Organisations like Webeo allow a personalised web experience and depending on who you are, you can gather, optimise and use data and personalisation to drive revenue increases. Modern CRM and omnichannel ecosystems are also topical and highly relevant for eComm and ABM.

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on Data

1. How data and a culture of innovation have driven triple-digit growth

Keynote speakers: 

• Joey Moore, Associate Vice President – Product – Optimizely

2. Performance insights: Data-driven targeting across marketing channels

Keynote speakers:

• Nikeeta Phagura, Senior Marketing Manager, B2B Solutions and Lead Generation – American Express

3. Navigating the eCommerce headwinds: How driving action with the right data can guide brands to success

Keynote speakers: 

• Andrew Pearl, VP Insights – Profitero

4. Data democratisation: how everyone can benefit from accessible data that paves the way for improved marketing outcomes

Keynote speakers:

• James Alty, Managing Director – Apteco

AI

Unsurprisingly, Artificial intelligence was a hot topic at the eComm expo – from product upselling and cross-selling to customer service with AI chatbots. The role of AI continues to evolve into a more public space, providing consumer-facing value. 

In the world of e-commerce, conversational AI can optimise the customer experience, scale customer engagement and provide retailers with the information they need to make an informed business decision.

For B2C, the ability to integrate AI throughout the digital customer journey will be a differentiator going forward, as consumers come to expect a higher level of personalised assistance across every channel and via multiple interfaces, such as product recommendations and personalised shopping.

AI algorithms will sift through enormous datasets to retrieve actionable insights into customer behaviour that will help them better predict what the customer is likely to need and when they are likely to need it.

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on AI

1. The Road to Cookieless Targeting: How Contextual, Machine Learning and AI are Fueling the Journey

Keynote speakers:

• Jasper Oswin, Sales Director, UK – StackAdapt

2. The Future Of Digital Marketing: Using A.I. To Increase eComm ROI Through Multi-Touch Marketing Data Reconciliation

Keynote speakers:

• Wyatt Lowe, Director of Results – Novacor
• Robby Switzer, CEO – Novacor

3. AI-Powered Recommender Systems in eCommerce

Keynote speakers: 

• Dino Bernicchi, AI Strategy Consultant – independent 

Sustainability

Ecomm logistics is most noteworthy when it comes to sustainability, but, of course, any business with facilities and extensive travel has a duty to be as sustainable as possible. 

In 2022, brands are looking for ways to leverage sustainable marketing in order to appeal to a growing, eco-conscious audience. Potential clients and partners are now much more aware of their sustainability responsibilities. 

For that reason, it’s essential for any ABM business to reflect sustainability in every aspect of its brand and promote core values that both parties value, incorporating social, environmental, and economic impact. Values such as wellness, resource security and social equity will, in turn, attract a socially and environmentally conscious audience, build brand loyalty and give customers confidence in your sustainability claims.

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on Sustainability

1. Greenwashing: why your company is at risk

Keynote speakers:

• Katy Svennas, VP Commercial & Sustainability – Sourceful

2. Discuss and debate: Grow your brand with purposeful, sustainable and ethical positioning

Keynote speakers:

• John Readman, CEO & Founder – BOSCO™ Powered by Modo25
• Cormac Folan, CEO & Co-Founder – Alder & Green
• Geoff van Sonsbeeck, Founder and Chief Executive Officer – Baukjen & Isabella Oliver
• Charlotte Morley, CEO – thelittleloop

Funnel – UX / CX / CRO

Ecomm is continuously perfecting its sales funnel, but CRO is just as essential for lead gen, and no matter the channel, it should be optimised. 

Account-based marketing is a viable acquisition model for businesses targeting ACV deals. The leads are engaged and highly qualified through a predictable sales and marketing-aligned model and converted into customers.

An ABM funnel starts by identifying target accounts and ends with converting them into customers. Accounts are targeted based on how well they match a B2B business’ ideal customer profile, the value and quality of the account, and the ease of conversion. Engagement can be enhanced through segmentation and behaviour tracking to serve relevant content to prospects and align the go-to-marketing strategy with the customer journey.

Omnichannel journeys and marketing are key as long as they are accessible to both customer and retail worker. Each omnichannel business model requires specific foundations and capabilities, which involve making the case, data challenges, technology and driving customer engagement to guide brands to success and unlock growth opportunities.

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on Funnel

1. Continued expansion of Omni-Channel capabilities using technology and organization

Keynote speakers:

• Johan Edling, Head of Tech Transformation – AB Lindex

2. How omnichannel can unlock growth for your business

Keynote speakers: 

• Harshna Cayley, Head of Online Payments – Barclaycard Payments

SEO

Our seventh theme, (last but by no means least) SEO, is still as current as ever. From core vitals to content, ABM is utilising SEO to get seen by your target personas.

Google can estimate user intent for search topics, allowing SERP to provide content that is most relevant to and piquing the curiosity of that persona. Additionally, SEO analytics – especially insights into consumer interests, behaviour, and preferences – aid the construction of an effective account-based marketing strategy. 

ABM-Relevant Expo Sessions on SEO

1. Beyond Core Web Vitals: Maximizing Web Performance Improvements to Accelerate your SEO

Keynote speakers: 

• Diane Kulseth, Senior Solution Expert – SEO – Siteimprove

2. How To Get Your Content Marketing Read By The Right Audience

• Gavin Jordan, Publishing Manager – The Drum

Put SEO at the heart of your ABM strategy to boost searchability, leads and conversions. Discover our expert SEO services.