View Transcript
Overview: In this webinar, Janet Jaiswal (VP of Marketing, Blueshift) and Ryan Steele (Co-Founder, Solvenna) explore how AI is transforming customer engagement in retail. They discuss findings from Blueshift's marketer survey, showcase real-world success stories from Trulieve and Five Below, and outline a framework for achieving AI-powered personalization at scale.
AI and Retail Marketing Today
Janet Jaiswal, VP of Marketing at Blueshift: We commissioned a study surveying nearly 300 B2C marketers across industries like retail, finance, and media. One major takeaway: while cross-channel marketing is a top priority, many marketers struggle to activate offline data and personalize experiences at scale. This fragmentation prevents a complete view of the customer and limits real-time personalization.
- 75% of marketers say they struggle with personalization at scale.
- 62% report delayed campaigns due to siloed data and inflexible systems.
- Only 20% are confident their tech stack supports cross-channel execution effectively.
A more customer-centric approach is needed. That means moving away from channel-led campaigns and building marketing around the customer's lifecycle and behaviors.
The Path to AI-Driven Engagement
Ryan Steele, Co-Founder at Solvenna: Most brands today face complexity. Tech stacks are messy, and marketing teams are expected to do more with less. But AI can simplify and supercharge marketing.
To succeed, you need three things:
- Simplicity: Don’t overcomplicate your tech. Choose platforms that combine CDP, AI, and cross-channel orchestration.
- Data: Build a unified customer profile using behavioral, demographic, third-party, and predictive data.
- Journey Framework: Automate lifecycle journeys (welcome, onboarding, win-back, etc.), apply predictive scoring, personalize content in real time, and continuously test and optimize.
AI enables marketers to:
- Predict channel preference by individual (e.g., email vs SMS).
- Personalize content based on behavior and preferences.
- Automate send-time optimization and product recommendations.
Key Tip: Start with fast, high-impact campaigns like personalized subject lines or cart abandonment emails. Use AI to save time and improve engagement early.
Real-World Example: Trulieve's Transformation
Trulieve, a leading cannabis brand with 230+ retail stores and 625K+ loyalty members, moved from batch-and-blast emails to AI-powered lifecycle marketing using Blueshift.
Results:
- Improved attribution and customer segmentation.
- Personalized engagement by state, customer type, and buying cadence.
- Achieved a 1,133% revenue lift from using predictive affinities.
Why Trulieve Chose Blueshift:
- Ease of use across decentralized teams.
- Flexible integrations for multiple data sources.
- Built-in AI that marketers can use without technical support.
Real-World Example: Five Below's Lean Team, Scaled Impact
Five Below, a national retailer with 1,800+ stores, uses Blueshift to run 70+ monthly campaigns with fewer than two marketers.
Impact:
- 22% increase in revenue from personalized recommendations.
- 41% open rate on cart abandonment emails.
- 5.3% CTR and 21% conversion on abandoned cart emails.
Their success shows that even lean teams can scale AI personalization with the right tools.
Q&A Highlights
Q: What's the best way to unify offline and online data? A: Use a platform that combines real-time event ingestion, identity resolution, and CDP capabilities to build a real-time customer profile.
Q: How do I know if my stack supports AI personalization? A: Look for two-way integration (data in and out). You don’t have to rip-and-replace—just ensure your existing tools can talk to an AI-capable platform.
Q: What can I automate first with AI? A: Subject line variations, cart abandonment flows, and send-time optimization are quick wins with high ROI.
Q: How can different teams create a consistent experience? A: Ensure that product recommendations and personalization are driven from a central profile within the CDP, not fragmented tools.
Key Takeaways:
- AI simplifies complexity and empowers marketers to personalize at scale.
- Cross-channel orchestration is only as good as your unified customer view.
- Starting with the right platform unlocks faster time-to-value—even for lean teams.
- Trulieve and Five Below prove that real-time, predictive personalization drives revenue and loyalty.
