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ECE: a new approach to shopping centre marketing

Digital ecosystem that enabled data-driven marketing, personalized customer engagement, and cross-channel customer journeys.

Retail & Consumer Goods
Digital Business Consulting
Digital Experience Platforms
Salesforce

ece.com/de

The retail sector is in a state of flux: customer requirements and behaviour are changing constantly and ever faster. Consumers’ expectations of the shopping experience are also rising rapidly, and the COVID-19 pandemic has even accelerated digital competition. ECE Marketplaces, one of the leading operators of shopping centres in Europe, has recognised that an innovative marketing strategy that works digitally and offline is essential to tackle these challenges. IBM iX supports ECE in the strategy and implementation of a digital ecosystem that enables the targeted addressing of consumers across all communication channels.

Enrich shopping experiences with digital services

Based in Hamburg, ECE Marketplaces operates a portfolio of over 200 shopping centres in Europe. In order to strengthen its attractiveness in the long term and retain customers, a wide range of visitor services around the centres and personalised communication with customers are to be developed in addition to appealing experiences. To this end, ECE has designed a multi-layered digital ecosystem supported by IBM iX, which consists of four central building blocks: the establishment of digital channels with additional convenience services, data-driven marketing, special programme content for loyal visitors and a data platform as the technical basis for customer management.

Data as a driver for a more effective approach

Starting with a strategy phase, ECE has in collaboration with IBM iX designed an ecosystem approach that supports ECE marketing in expanding its B2C presence and operationalising the overarching marketing strategy. Targeted data collection at both digital and physical touchpoints creates 360-degree consumer profiles. These enable the creation of cross-channel customer journeys that offer visitors customised content and sustainably increase the effectiveness of B2C marketing campaigns.

 As part of the implementation, the teams consist of business and technical experts who work according to the latest agile methods such as IBM Garage and use agnostic methods such as IBM Design Thinking, Value Orchestration and Capability Maps. In development, IBM iX supports in implementing the ecosystem’s customer data platform based on Salesforce technology.

Expanding digital marketing capabilities

The resulting ecosystem offers new opportunities for ECE to supplement its marketing measures with modern functionalities in various areas:

  • Creation of new communication channels: The development of new channels (e.g. newsletter, mobile consumer app) around the shopping centre creates new opportunities to interact directly with customers, learn more about the individual needs of individual consumer groups and address them in a targeted manner.
  • Personalised visitor approach: ECE will be able to offer its visitors personalised recommendations and exclusive content in future in order to sustainably strengthen the local centre brands.
  • Cross-channel customer journeys: The integrated platform makes it possible to use existing and new consumer touchpoints simultaneously to further enrich the visitor experience around the centre visit.
  • Increased efficiency through automation: The digitalisation of communication channels makes it possible to replace manual marketing activities with partially automated processes. This contributes to greater efficiency, improved quality and faster delivery of marketing campaigns.

Ready for the future

By building the digital consumer ecosystem, ECE’s centre marketing feels equipped to meet the growing demands of the market and promote the attractiveness of its shopping centres for visitors in the long term. In addition, the Salesforce marketing module enables the dynamic compilation of centre newsletters that already reach several hundred thousand consumers. Ongoing marketing activities are evaluated in order to identify optimisation potential and develop targeted communication strategies to continuously improve the efficiency of the campaigns. Coupled with the increasing combination of physical and digital consumer touchpoints, the local shopping experience remains attractive, modern and competitive for customers.

 

Click here for the company profile: https://www.ece.com/de

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