AI in Action: 7 Real-World Examples of AI in Marketing

Skillshare is the world’s largest online learning community for creativity, offering more than 30,000 classes to over 785,000 students. Skillshare sets a model example for using AI to power and optimize an effective email marketing strategy. The team leverages predictive recommendations in automated campaigns to increase both efficiency and personalization. With recommendations, Skillshare matches each user with the courses that best fit their unique needs based on user behavior, activity, and interests. Skillshare has seen great success using recommendations with personalized class picks for each student in their weekly recurring newsletter, which has a 71% higher CTR than other emails.

Using AI, they are able to continue to optimize their email efforts and increase workflow efficiencies. Using Engage Time Optimization the team can easily send emails at the best time for each user, which also helps to best serve their large global audiences. GenAI is also being utilized to create fresh copy ideas, help with writer’s block, and for easy A/B testing. Skillshare proves that when AI joins the classroom, the possibilities are limitless!  🎨

Slickdeals is powered by a community of 12 million shoppers who love to find, post, share, vote, and comment on deals. Slickdeals is a shining example of AI’s capabilities in driving engagement and cultivating a devoted community of users. Their AI-powered strategy is centered around converting new users into daily active users and maximizing customer lifetime value (LTV). Using predictive scores, the team is able to measure engagement levels and place users into different buckets based on their respective activity levels. With this, the team then determines the frequency of messages for each bucket, which dynamically updates as a user’s engagement changes over time. This data-driven approach has resulted in a 26% increase in engagement rates when optimizing for open and click probability.

Another essential way the team leverages predictive scores is to detect waning levels of interest used for churn intervention. By utilizing predictive recommendations, the right messages are crafted to intervene and re-engage users effectively. Recommendations have also proven to be a powerful tool in their post-purchase and abandoned browse campaigns, as well as their daily newsletter. Slickdeals sets a great example of how savvy AI e-commerce strategies can keep shoppers coming back for more deals. 🛍️

Udacity is on a mission to upskill the world’s workforce through the power of knowledge. Creating a connected and engaging learning environment is critical as online learning continues to grow. As a company that teaches the world about the applications of data and AI, the team at Udacity knows the power of data and AI. In a recent webinar, Lauren Reiterman, CRM Manager at Udacity, shared a few of the ways Udacity uses AI to drive student acquisition, engagement, and lifetime value. “AI is my best friend. Especially because I’m wearing multiple hats… you’re looking at data, you’re writing copy, you’re building campaigns, you’re analyzing results, and a lot of what AI does within email tools could be done with human intervention, but it just takes way more time” says Lauren Reiterman.

The team leverages AI-powered recommendations to personalize messages, dynamically matching students with the right content and personalized programs based on their unique learning history. Recommendations have been key in helping the team drive conversion and engagement – from course discovery to course completion. In fact, thanks to AI, the team has saved 10 to 15 hours a month as well as doubled the number of syllabus downloads. Udacity stands as a prime example of how marketers can effectively use AI and data to graduate to new levels. 📚

Sweetwater, the leading online music retailer, is on a mission to use technology to enhance its 1:1 interactions with customers. Recognizing the power of data, Sweetwater seizes every customer interaction as a golden opportunity to better understand its audience. In a recent webinar, Jeff Ekblad, VP of Marketing at Sweetwater, shared how they approach using data, AI, and automation to engage with customers across the lifecycle. Armed with rich customer data, the marketing team delivers personalized messages that strike a chord with each individual (no pun intended 🎸). Sweetwater’s wide array of content and extensive product catalog is enriched by AI-powered recommendations, ensuring customers are matched with products and content tailored to their unique musical interests. Another powerful way Sweetwater leverages AI is through its predictive models. With predictive scores, Sweetwater is able to target customers who are most likely to perform an action. Using predictive segmentation for “likely to click” resulted in a 25% increase in email click-through rate. By embracing data and AI, the Sweetwater team creates a harmonious experience for their valued customers. 🎶

CarParts.com is the leading online auto part and accessories retailer. Their goal: help everyday drivers get back on the road by making it simple and convenient to shop for auto parts online. Carparts.com is another great example of the power of AI and 1:1 recommendations. With the marketer in the driver’s seat, AI becomes the ultimate co-pilot for Carparts.com. Even with a vast catalog of over 1 million SKUs and extensive vehicle content, AI makes it possible for the team to deliver tailored experiences across channels. Leveraging product and content recommendations, they are able to effectively reach the right customers with relevant auto part recommendations, repair tips, and news, all based on their specific vehicle year, make, model, and real-time website behaviors. The result? +400% increase in CTR. Additionally, accessible AI has freed the marketing team from relying on IT and engineering teams, saving a remarkable 50 hours per week. CarParts.com’s journey is a great example of how AI can fuel your marketing strategy and turbo-charge your results. 🚗

Artifact Uprising helps customers create lasting memories through printed photo books, gifts, and more. As a company that promotes personalization, they put an emphasis on ensuring they go above and beyond to personalize experiences for their customers. By leveraging rich customer data and AI, they take personalization to the next level. Given the seasonal and event-driven nature of the photo printing industry, keeping customers engaged even after the busy season is crucial. Using recommendations, the team is able to provide the most relevant recommendations based on each user’s behaviors, project history, interests, and more. AI helps the team personalize essential campaigns such as abandoned projects, sending timely and relevant messages, scaling their campaigns, and eliminating time-consuming manual tasks.  Recommendations also provide a great way for Artifact Uprising to learn and understand more about their customers and the other products they are interested in – ultimately resulting in more sales opportunities and driving lifetime value. From personalized memories to customer loyalty, Artifact Uprising’s AI-powered marketing is truly picture-perfect. 📸

Zumper is an end-to-end rental marketplace that aims to make renting a place to live as easy as booking a hotel. Their dynamic business model makes it critical to stay on top of availability, pricing, user preferences, and levels of user intent. AI plays a critical role for their marketing team, helping them match close to 100 million users with the perfect home from over half a million apartments. With a constantly changing catalog, it’s key for the team to be able to surface the right apartments for each user and help them discover new listings by matching user preferences and browsing behavior. By leveraging data-driven, 1:1 recommendations they are able to effectively match users with listings and content personalized to their individual criteria, such as price, room size, term length, pet-friendly, and more. It’s also essential that recommendations automatically update as user preferences evolve throughout their apartment search. “Recommendations are really the lifeblood of our re-engagement,” says Russell Middleton, Co-Founder of Zumper. Zumper is a striking example of how AI can unlock a world of possibilities for marketers. 🏠🔑

The real-world examples we’ve explored in this blog demonstrate just a few of the many innovative ways brands are leveraging AI to their advantage. Skillshare’s email marketing strategy, Slickdeals’ customer retention efforts, and Udacity’s hyper-personalization initiatives all showcase the transformative potential of AI in achieving remarkable outcomes. Businesses that adopt AI gain a competitive edge by reaching their target audiences with greater precision and relevance. By analyzing vast amounts of data and generating valuable insights, AI empowers marketers to make informed decisions that increase engagement, boost conversion rates, and improve customer loyalty. Embracing AI isn’t just about keeping up with trends; it’s about unlocking new possibilities and expanding the boundaries of what’s achievable in marketing. 

Want to explore more about how AI can help you achieve marketing results? Check out our Smart Guide to AI Marketing or view more webinars here.