#110 The Least boring Weekend Newsletter

July 31, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Good Morning Readers!

Here’s to wishing for a successful day ahead!

The pandemic's ramifications may still be seen today in many different aspects of the economy

In a survey conducted in late June and early July, 40% of individuals said it has been somewhat or extremely difficult to pay for typical household costs. Since the Census began posing the question in August 2020, that number is the highest. It means that, up from approximately 60 million a year ago, more than 90 million families are experiencing financial hardship. Two years ago, when the Census first posed the issue, a third of respondents said they had trouble paying their regular household costs. Following a year of decline, the share began to rise approximately a year ago as inflation took hold and government pandemic aid came to an end.

When a Covid moratorium on repaying that debt expires on September 1, millions of households with college loans are anticipated to incur extra monthly expenditure. The poll reveals a dramatic rise in financial stress across the board in the nation's major cities. For instance, in Dallas, the proportion of respondents reporting difficulties paying their expenses increased from 27.9 percent to around 45.9 percent a year earlier. In Detroit, the share increased by nearly 20 percentage points. According to a study released last week by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, as of March, one in eight residents had not paid their power bills in full. More than 1.2 million consumers owe $1.8 billion in total, with 68 percent of the debt coming from people in New York City and Long Island.

In just two years, the average debt held by state citizens increased from $768 in March 2020 to $1,467 in March. According to the most recent Census poll, more than one-third of households nationwide cut back on or skipped spending on essentials like food and medicine to pay their energy bills. For at least one month, more than one in five households maintained a temperature that felt hazardous or unhealthy, and a comparable number of households reported being unable to cover at least a portion of their energy costs.

Almund’s newsletter will give you all kinds of tips for DTC brands and much more.

Alright, so let’s get right to it!

This newsletter is going to dive into:

Roblox unveils a virtual high school experience from Dick's Sporting Goods

Here's Why Mobile Marketing Automation Matters

🥇 Brand Of The Week - Nescafe

🎁 Brand Deals Of The Week

📕 Top Reads Of The Week

⚙️ Plenty Of Jobs Await You!

So, scroll down to THE VERY END & read up on what’s yet to come your way!

Roblox unveils a virtual high school experience from Dick's Sporting Goods

For their new back-to-school campaign, Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. has partnered with a well-known online gaming site. The biggest athletic goods company in the country is starting a back-to-school campaign called "Sport Your Style," which includes a Roblox virtual game environment dubbed The Locker Room experience. Users may engage with other users, explore Dick's Sporting Goods High, and compete in games and challenges in The Field, The Hallways, The Gym, and The Outdoor Cafeteria. These experience settings also include The Field, The Hallways, The Gymnasium, and The Outdoor Cafeteria. Customers must explore a second secret world within the experience on their own. 

Users of Roblox access the virtual world through The Locker Room, where they are given personal locker and style points that may be used to purchase footwear, apparel, and other items for their virtual avatars. Users of Roblox may interact socially and earn badges, style points, and stickers inside the School of Sport by performing various activities. Users of Roblox may use the stickers they've gathered to personalize their virtual school supplies, such as notebooks and water bottles, and they'll be rated on a community scoreboard according to the style points they accrue.

Furthermore, Pacsun has unveiled Pacworld, an amazing interactive mall on Roblox. Customers could practically take on the roles of mall owners and managers, adding and removing stores, upgrading successful stores, beautifying the mall to try to draw in more patrons, and inviting friends to visit their mall. Additionally, in the spring of 2022, American Eagle launched its "Members Always" campaign with metaverse extensions on many platforms, including Roblox.

Here's Why Mobile Marketing Automation Matters

As of 2021, there were an anticipated 7.1 billion mobile phone users. For these consumers, mobile phones serve as the primary portal for ads and the introduction of new goods and brands. This offers marketers a great chance to grow their potential client base, increase revenue, and improve customer engagement—all through mobile apps. Downloads of mobile apps have generally increased dramatically during the previous several years.

These mobile apps give marketers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but only if they fully use them. You may effectively get into that worldwide market with mobile marketing automation.

Let's examine why marketing automation is the greatest and most economical way for businesses to connect with millions of potential customers.

  • Compared to individual evaluations, marketing automation offers more thorough insights into the mobile behaviors of your clients. Let's say a successful viral marketing campaign brought in 220,000 new users. However, since you don't know who they are, you are unsure how to message them. Marketing automation steps in at this point and automatically analyses your users, segmenting them into groups of people that are more and less likely to convert. Now that you know what to do next, you may send individuals who are less likely to convert a coupon for a discount.

  • It Aids in Providing Customized Mobile Marketing Content. Mobile applications are ubiquitous and a part of our daily lives. Fewer than 90% of US marketers claim to improve their bottom line by customizing the online consumer journey. What can you do to differentiate your brand from the other applications available? Users of interactive applications are encouraged to investigate features and personalize their experiences. Marketing tactics, such as surveys, feedback requests, and social media sharing, collect vital information that may be used to create more detailed personalization and precise and pertinent targeting. Another crucial factor is communication choices, which guarantee people get as much (or as little) marketing information as they choose, when, when, and how they desire it.

  • For customer engagement, you may use many communication channels. Marketers may use more efficient mobile-specific communication channels to target their audience in addition to in-app client engagement. A seamless user experience is delivered via omnichannel marketing across all devices and channels. For instance, Disney has developed strong, personalized relationships with its consumers due to an effective omnichannel approach. Their website is intended to work effectively on any device, browser, and operating system and is mobile-responsive. Anyone who has made a reservation for a Disney vacation on the internet may still view their itinerary on a mobile device, and vice versa.

  • Create digital marketing workflows effectively. Creating communication templates, user segmentation, customization, and data collection depend on mobile marketing automation software. Automation works best when it simplifies processes, increases effectiveness, and enhances the customer experience through personalization. Automation and planning for every stage of your marketing strategy are made simple by properly integrating your data. A responsive and intuitive program should provide each  user with flexible, tailored, and event-based feedback.

Brand Of The Week - Nescafe

Nescafe is one of the top FMCG brands for years which can be found dominating the coffee sector in people's homes. That is why this time we have chosen them to showcase their marketing strategy to our readers.

Nescafe's marketing strategy examines the brand using the marketing mix framework, which includes the four Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). There are numerous marketing tactics, such as price strategy, promotion planning, and product innovation. These commercial methods, which are based on the Nescafe marketing mix, aid in the brand's commercial success. The Nescafe marketing strategy aids the brand/company in securing a competitive position in the market and achieving its financial goals. The vast array of items offered by Nescafe is primarily intended to satiate consumer taste senses. After evaluating the coffee, they ensure that every type of coffee enthusiast is satisfied. As part of their marketing mix goods strategy, Nescafe launched a variety of coffee blends. Customers' demographic needs are also taken into account. Nearly all varieties of coffee lovers are catered to, and they all receive things that they are happy with. In addition to coffee, the company has designed and produced "contactless" coffee makers for its consumers.

Nescafe places a strong emphasis on promoting its goods in a variety of ways. They ensure that there is adequate communication with the clients so that they are aware of the nature of the items. Nescafe advertises its goods via radio, television, newspapers, PR campaigns, the internet, etc. The company has a sizable social media fan base and connects people across the world by interacting with its consumers through online video promotions. The brand has ensured that its logo hasn't changed from the beginning. This helped the logo become more recognizable to the public, who could now identify the business solely based on the logo because it had already become ingrained in their minds.

Brand Deals Of The Week

This weekend, Pottery Barn is offering up to 70% off outdoor bestsellers.

This weekend, Macy's is offering discounts of up to 65% on mattresses, furniture, and home décor.

This weekend, start your back-to-school shopping. Society6 is providing discounts of up to 25%.

Shop the discount area at Athleta to save up to 50% on loungewear and activewear. 

There is no need for a coupon code to take advantage of 50% off all already reduced sale styles right now.

Top Reads Of The Week

Now that the pandemic boom has ended, this is how Shopify is reinventing itself.

In response to consumer pressure from inflation, Best Buy reduces its forecast along with other businesses.

Amazon claims that customer spending is still high, defying the general retail downturn.

Best Buy is the latest to issue a sales and profit warning.

Wingstop reports declining chicken wing pricing, indicating some goods are experiencing deflation.

IN NEED OF A JOB?  WE'VE GOT PLENTY AWAITING YOU!

E-Commerce Manager - Zillspace

CHOOSE SUCCESS below and have a great weekend! Get that D2C business runnin’.