| | May 201719CIOReviewAscent360Transforming Data into Revenue Today's marketers are primarily challenged with the growing influx of data. According to IDC, by 2020, the digital universe will reach 44 zettabytes, making the life of marketing professionals even more complicated. As a result, the need for a software to handle data is imperative as "technology integrates data faster." Ascent360, a Customer Database Platform (CDP), empowers marketers to have a 360 degree view of their customers by integrating customer data from disparate sources. With a granular-level understanding of their customers, businesses can create highly personalized and targeted marketing campaigns. "The idea of `engaging the right person at the right time with the right message' has always been impossible for marketers to achieve," says Scott Buelter, CEO, Ascent360. "We overcome this challenge with our transformative technology. We provide clients with a holistic view of customer data coupled with cutting-edge technologies to transform data into revenue.""For instance, if an individual makes a purchase exceeding a certain amount, say $500, our software captures that purchase, enabling our client to send an automated email thanking them for the purchase along with the contact details of the store manager from where the purchase was made. The offline revenue attribution tool--our CDP's latest feature--helps retailers assess the effectiveness of their email campaigns by analyzing the purchases made as a result of that email campaign both online and offline," explains Buelter. Ascent360's CDP integrates client data from all sources including POS, eCommerce, email, loyalty program, and browser data. Post data integration, Ascent360 analyzes the data and provides clients with insights into the purchase trends of their customers with details such as last product purchased and time between repeat purchases. By segmenting customer data based on their individual purchase history, clients can build personalized communication with each individual through automated marketing messages sent out to them through various channels such as email, Facebook, Google, or digital display. "Our technology is adept at understanding customer behavior, allowing our clients to target individuals and personalize their message to drive powerful marketing campaigns and increase ROI," says Buelter. Ascent360 has a highly impressive customer retention rate. Thanks to their Account Managers (AMs) who are responsible for helping clients use data for making smart marketing decisions. "AMs are a fundamental aspect of how we provide value to our customers," says Buelter. The AMs review the analytics results and offer suggestions and best practices to clients on how best to use the Ascent360 platform and advise on what marketing programs to implement. AMs help enable smart marketing decisions in six different categories or strategic framework: knowing the customer, growing the database, building loyalty, testing, measurement, and communicating with the customers. An example of this is: a retailer had a customer base with a repeat purchase trend of 30-60 days. Ascent360's AM reviewed the client data and analyzed their business from a repeat purchase perspective. A post purchase email stream was setup which is sent at a time interval of 30 and 60 days from the day of purchase. The email included products that are related to their previous purchases. If the customer doesn't return within 120 days, the software launches a lapsed customer email stream that includes a coupon and has the directions to the store, engaging the individual to visit the store again. With focus on robust analytics, Ascent360 is implementing machine learning. "Our next step is to integrate known customer data with anonymous data--data from web traffic and cookies--where we explore marketing opportunities based on cookie data. Our CDP and data management platform results in single source of data helping our clients to save the cost in having to purchase multiple solutions," concludes Buelter. We provide clients with a holistic view of customer data coupled with cutting-edge technologies to transform data into revenueScott Buelter
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