Tag: Braze

Delivering personalised and impactful customer experiences at scale is a critical challenge for industry leaders. Consumers expect seamless, relevant interactions across multiple platforms, from social media and mobile apps to websites and in-person engagements. 

However, the complexities of cross-platform engagement require businesses to integrate advanced data analytics, AI-driven personalisation, and agile marketing strategies to ensure consistency and effectiveness. Companies that master this approach can deepen customer relationships, enhance brand loyalty, and drive long-term growth.

From leveraging real-time data insights to optimising omnichannel marketing efforts, businesses must adopt a holistic, customer-centric mindset to remain competitive. By understanding these complexities and implementing tailored engagement strategies, organisations can position themselves as market leaders in the era of digital personalisation.

These aforementioned objectives are what industry leaders from across Southeast Asia discussed in the recently concluded What’s NEXT in Marketing: Customer Engagement in 2025, which equipped marketers with transformative insights and strategies to meet evolving customer expectations.

How brands can engage with AI-powered customer engagement

Kicking off the webinar was a keynote presentation from Ranya Arora, senior strategic business consultant at Braze as she discussed the latest trends in customer engagement and how these strategies can help brands in their engagement strategies amidst a constantly changing online environment for consumers.

In the presentation, Ranya highlighted that proper customer engagement online is important, citing data from Deloitte which states that around 50% of Gen Z consumers are concerned that too much device usage is negatively affecting their physical and mental health. For Ranya, businesses should be wary when navigating this ongoing online fatigue from consumers.

“I think we all can agree that customer life cycle strategies are important in reducing that fatigue and the key benefits of doing that come into place because they allow you to have a better customer experience which helps you improve your marketing efficiency, as well as the core component of driving retention and profitability,” she explained.

To properly navigate the needs of customers online, brands must tackle these four particular challenges:

  • Marketers struggle with obstacles to both creativity and strategy in customer engagement
  • Many marketers still don’t have a clear view of their customers
  • Teams need more collaboration to close the customer engagement feedback loop
  • Most brands haven’t built a foundation for successful cross-channel marketing

“We believe that the fundamentals of growth will truly remain constant, which means if you acquire and activate your customers more efficiently and you engage and keep them around for longer, you will eventually make more money from the customer,” she added.

Ranya also added that the ‘secret sauce’ for consistent growth amongst businesses remains the same: consists of acquisition & activation, engagement, and monetisation. Moreover, she also stressed the importance of AI-powered strategies, stating that tools are designed to create (work smarter in crafting memorable customer experiences), personalise (tailor experiences, content, recommendations and journeys – all at scale), and optimise (automate experiences and maximise the potential of every touchpoint).

“AI-powered tools can recommend items that are most likely to resonate with every customer for different industry verticals–this could be products, games, songs, meals, and content among others. This links into orchestration and helps you serve up the right campaign or journey variant to the right person based on everything you know about them,” she further stated.

Integrating digital strategies across multiple platforms

Next up taking the spotlight is a fireside chat with Rajesh Grover, group vice president of AI, digital & omnichannel at Kanmo Group to discuss how their company enhances customer engagement by integrating digital strategies across multiple platforms for a seamless omnichannel experience. 

Moreover, the session–which was moderated by Fatima Baduria, regional journalist at MARKETECH APAC–also delved into how brands should leverage digital innovations to adapt to evolving customer expectations and maintain competitiveness in a dynamic market.

For Rajesh, regardless of the size of the business is knowing your customer–meaning who pays the business for products or services. Moreover, he also stressed the importance of making colleagues in the company understand why omnichannel is important for them–but also offering a piece of advice about using these technologies.

“There is no magic wand in terms of technology, which you can deploy in your companies or your business that will turn around your business if you don’t have a clear idea of what your customers need. And then it is all about mapping out your roadmap, not getting too ambitious, understanding and implementing it slowly, but fool-proof,” he explained.

In addition, he also highlighted how strategic implementation is also important, which means that brands should focus more on depth over breadth (i.e. better to execute a few things well rather than spreading too thin). Also, a strong feedback loop is essential where brands must think from the customer’s perspective to assess if their systems are truly working.

He also highlighted that many businesses mistakenly focus on adding multiple sales channels without properly integrating data and teams. For him, siloed data – different channels often operate independently without shared insights, leading to poor customer experience. Hence, personalisation should be a key strength in a brand’s customer engagement strategy.

“If you’re still relying on discounts to drive engagement, you’re missing the point of true personalisation. Personalisation isn’t just about using a customer’s name in an email. It’s about knowing what makes them feel valued,” he added.

On leveraging modern marketing technology to enhance customer engagement

Next up on the webinar was a panel discussion featuring industry leaders Dian Paskalis, country director of growth & regional vice president of online marketing at Cove Indonesia; Jogent Emmanuel Tan, marketing director at Domino’s Pizza Philippines; and Caroline Wee, vice president of brand and strategy at Loob Holding (Tealive) as they emphasise the importance of cross-platform engagement, discussing common challenges and effective strategies for seamless implementation across multiple channels. The session was moderated by Ranya Arora.

In the discussion, Karen emphasised the need for brands to be ‘real’ and authentic,’ ensuring that engagement is based on genuine customer needs rather than assumptions. Meanwhile, Jogent highlighted ‘personalisation’ as the key to capturing attention, as customers now expect tailored experiences rather than generic marketing. Lastly, Diyan focused on ‘connection,’ explaining that brands must shift from talking to customers to talking with them, fostering deeper relationships through meaningful interactions.

The discussion also highlighted how data and AI are transforming customer engagement by enabling personalisation at scale, but brands must use them wisely. Companies like Domino’s Pizza and Tealive leverage CRM tools and AI-driven insights to analyse customer behaviour, predict preferences, and tailor marketing strategies. 

It is worth noting, however, that scaling personalisation comes with challenges—over-reliance on data can lead to misleading assumptions, as what customers say they want often differs from what they actually buy. In order to avoid hyper-personalisation pitfalls, brands must balance automation with human intuition, ensuring that personalisation efforts remain practical, cost-effective, and genuinely beneficial to customers.

“Marketing today isn’t just about running ads—it’s about being where the customers are. People engage with brands across multiple platforms: social media, food delivery apps, e-commerce sites, and even offline stores. The key challenge? Making sure that branding, messaging, and promotions are consistent across all these touchpoints. That’s where data-driven marketing becomes so valuable,” Jogent said.

Carol also echoed these sentiments, stating, “A common mistake brands make is relying too much on first-party data without questioning it. We have to remember that what customers say and what they actually do are often two different things. Instead of making drastic changes based on survey results, we overlay multiple data points—transaction history, market trends, AI insights—to make better-informed decisions. The future of engagement isn’t just about collecting data—it’s about knowing which data actually matters.”

Speaking on the aspect of personalisation strategies for brands, Diyan offers up his advice, “There’s always a fine line between effective personalisation and over-complication. The effort needed to hyper-personalise can sometimes become too costly or too complex, and the return might not justify it. For example, in the rental market, people take anywhere from one week to six months to make a decision.”

He added, “If we invest too many resources into micromanaging their preferences in the first week, we might lose efficiency. Instead, we focus on prioritising the most impactful personalisation efforts—things that actually lead to higher conversions, rather than just making the experience more complicated for the sake of it.”

The webinar was attended by 187 attendees representing brands across Asia-Pacific such as 2GO Group, ALL IT Hypermarket Sdn Bhd., AboitizPower, Bayer, Burger King Malaysia, Carsome, Filinvest Land, Inc., Fitness First Singapore, Home Credit, Jollibee Foods Corporation, JustCo Global, Lamudi, Malaysia Aviation Group, Mastercard, Minor Hotels, National Heritage Board (NHB), Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCOM), Power Mac Center, PT. Nutrifood Indonesia, Reckitt, and Westpac, amongst others.

If you missed attending it, you can catch the on-demand access to the webinar, where brands explore strategies to boost customer engagement and loyalty. Register HERE for free.

Australia – Braze has announced the launch of its new Sydney data centre and ANZ headquarters, underscoring its deepening commitment to the Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) market. These strategic investments aim to help companies navigate evolving privacy regulations and enhance customer connections.

ANZ has become a priority market for Braze—its fastest-growing region in APAC—thanks to successful partnerships with brands including Wesfarmers, Canva, REA Group, David Jones, and Cashrewards.

Since its acquisition of local reseller NorthStar in June 2023, Braze has seen robust growth in the region, driven by increased demand for improved data security, and customer engagement solutions. The new data centre and headquarters further bolster Braze’s ability to support Australian businesses as they adapt to changes in privacy and data management.

For the company’s new headquarters, the expansion follows the scaling of its ANZ-based team to 70 professionals across Melbourne, Queensland, and Sydney. The move reinforces Braze’s long-term commitment to the ANZ market and its plans to drive continuous growth and innovation in the region.

Meanwhile, the newly-launched Sydney-based data centre—hosted on AWS—will provide customers with the flexibility needed to align with any internal policies, business needs, or data residency requirements they may have. The facility empowers brands to take control of their data, reduce risk, and build customer trust by storing information locally and following best practices. 

Built for high capacity and robust performance, the centre offers local data storage and high performance, real-time data processing for customers with one to hundreds of millions of users. By keeping customer data within Australia, organisations can better align with consumer expectations around data privacy and sovereignty, while enhancing their engagement strategies.

Lewis Barnes, general manager for Australia and senior director of customer success at Braze, said, “Australia stands at the forefront of digital innovation and evolving privacy standards. Our new Sydney data centre and ANZ headquarters are a direct response to the unique needs of the Australian market.”

He added, “We’re not only providing the robust, local infrastructure that can support data sovereignty, but we’re also empowering our clients to drive customer engagement and growth in an increasingly competitive landscape. Our investment here underscores our belief in Australia’s potential and our commitment to supporting its digital transformation.”

Meanwhile, Shahid Nizami, vice president for Asia Pacific & GCC at Braze, commented, “The launch of our new data center in Australia is a major milestone for Braze and a testament to our strong commitment to the Australian market. Australia is a key player in our APAC operations, and we’re dedicated to providing our Australian customers with the best possible experience.”

He added, “This data center should enhance performance, support data sovereignty, and enable us to better serve the growing demand for our customer engagement platform in the region. We’re excited to continue investing in Australia and empowering our customers to build stronger connections with their audiences.”

Singapore – The landscape of customer engagement is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by modern marketing technologies that empower brands to deliver hyper-personalised, impactful experiences at scale. With shifting consumer expectations and the increasing complexity of multi-platform interactions, how can brands rise to the challenge and redefine customer engagement for 2025? 

To tackle these critical challenges, MARKETECH APAC is hosting an exclusive webinar on 13 February 2025. Titled “What’s Next in Marketing: Customer Engagement in 2025,” the event aims to equip marketers with transformative insights and strategies to meet evolving customer expectations, craft personalised campaigns that resonate, and master the art of cross-platform engagement.

This is the second edition of the customer engagement webinar, born out of the strong partnership between the customer engagement platform Braze and MARKETECH APAC in delivering transformative insights for marketers. 

The webinar will feature an engaging panel discussion with seasoned industry leaders from Southeast Asia, sharing their expertise and forward-looking strategies to elevate customer engagement through innovation. The panel is comprised of:

  • Ranya Arora, senior strategic business consultant at Braze
  • Dian Paskalis, country director of growth & regional VP online marketing at Cove Indonesia
  • Jogent Emmanuel Tan, marketing director at Domino’s Pizza Philippines
  • Caroline Wee, vice president of brand and strategy at Loob Holding

The panel will also provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of how modern marketing technology is reshaping customer engagement, from meeting evolving expectations to creating personalised, impactful campaigns and navigating the challenges of cross-platform strategies.

Additionally, the webinar will feature a keynote presentation by Arora, who will delve into the key customer engagement trends for 2025 and examine how AI technology can empower brands to foster meaningful customer interactions.

Furthermore, Rajesh Grover, group vice president – AI, digital & omnichannel at Kanmo Group, will be present for a fireside chat, discussing how Kanmo Group creates seamless, consistent customer engagement across multiple platforms and channels, while leveraging digital innovations to meet evolving customer expectations and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

“As we step into a new year, it’s time to anticipate emerging trends, evolving consumer behaviours, and fresh opportunities to revolutionise customer engagement strategies. So, what are industry leaders planning for 2025? At MARKETECH APAC, we’re thrilled to present the second edition of our webinar, bringing together industry experts to share actionable insights. Join us as we uncover what’s NEXT in the ever-changing marketing landscape!” Katherine Sy, regional head of content at MARKETECH APAC, said. 

“What’s NEXT in Marketing: Customer Engagement in 2025” is presented in partnership with Braze. Join the webinar on 13 February 2025 at 11 AM (SGT) by registering HERE. Don’t miss it!

In an increasingly competitive market landscape, the importance of effective customer engagement strategies cannot be overstated, particularly in the current year. Businesses are recognising that personalisation and a cohesive customer experience are critical components in building and maintaining customer loyalty. Personalised interactions not only foster deeper connections with customers but also enhance satisfaction by catering to individual preferences and needs. 

As customer expectations continue to evolve, adopting these strategies is imperative for businesses aiming to stay ahead and create lasting, meaningful relationships with their clientele.

To continue fostering discussions on the importance of customer engagement strategies amongst businesses, MARKETECH APAC in partnership with Braze, invited top leaders from Indonesia for a roundtable event titled The Future of Customer Engagement: Trends and Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Game, to share their insights on customer engagement strategies, and how they’re implementing various forms of it across their marketing strategies.

This roundtable–a first for MARKETECH APAC in Indonesia–saw a dynamic and optimistic discussion on how the country’s marketers may move forward as an industry that incorporates AI-powered customer engagement tools into its DNA.

Marketing leaders who attended the event include:

  • Gerald Tjan, Director of APAC Scale & SMB/Startups, Braze
  • Kelvin Hong, director of brand marketing at A&W Indonesia
  • Staventram Inri, performance marketing section head at Astra Financial
  • Janty Sumirkan, sales & marketing director at Asuransi Simas Jiwa
  • Gita Rostika, group head marketing at bank bjb
  • Bayu Ramadhan, chief commercial officer at Bobobox
  • Dian Paskalis, country director of growth & regional VP online marketing at Cove Indonesia
  • Wilson Yanaprasetya, co-founder at Dagangan
  • Mochamad Gilang Syarief, conversion rate optimization at Erajaya Swasembada
  • Adrian Hoon, co-founder, COO/CMO at Getplus
  • Bertha Hapsari, VP marketing at Home Center Indonesia
  • Graceila Putri, co-founder at Juragan Material
  • Dita Gautama, head of marketing at MODENA
  • Maulana Christanto, chief of experience & analytics e-commerce at Ruparupa.com

How modern technologies shape omnichannel engagement landscape

For Dian Paskalis, country director of growth & regional VP for online marketing at Cove Indonesia, such technologies allow businesses to gather and analyse vast amounts of data from various channels, get deeper insights into customer behaviour and preferences, and anticipate customer needs across channels. To adapt to these changes, Dian advises businesses to remain agile and adapt fast to survive the change.

“Businesses can start investing in a robust data infrastructure that unifies information and customer data from all channels, providing a 360-degree customer view. This then allows the implementation of personalisation engines that can help them tailor content and offers to customers, enhancing their engagement and loyalty,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Graceila Putri, co-founder at Juragan Material notes three important contributions of these types of technologies in improving customer engagement: real-time capabilities for interaction and data transfer, advanced data analytics, and automation. When asked about her advice on how to adapt to these, she says to fully embrace it–all for the sake of improving customer engagement.

“Utilise technology to leverage data for decision-making, avoiding risks of decisions made without solid data insights. [Moreover], develop omnichannel strategies that prioritise accessibility and usability, ensuring solutions that enhance customer satisfaction,” she said.

“Modern technologies is changing the omnichannel engagement landscape. By leveraging these capabilities, businesses can and should create personalized experiences that resonate with customers, fostering deeper relationships and driving loyalty in an increasingly interconnected world.” Gerald Tjan, Director of APAC Scale & SMB/Startups, Braze added to conclude this discussion.

Ensuring seamless integration across diverse customer touchpoints

Wilson Yanaprasetya, co-founder at Dagangan explained that as customers prefer to switch between channels without disruption, businesses must maintain a consistent brand identity across all customer touchpoints. Such type of consistency makes it easier for customers to recognize the business and fosters trust, reassuring them that they are engaging with the same reliable entity.

For Wilson, there are three essential focuses that businesses should follow: mapping out the customer journey, leveraging advanced analytics and AI technologies, and elevating the post-sale process. Using his company as an example, he notes that these types of focus points are important, especially when your consumer base are based in rural areas and are not technologically literate.

“We focus on simplicity in our app to provide an easier experience. We leverage push notifications, chat commerce, and community-based social commerce to enhance engagement. Additionally, we offer support through our local field teams, who are ready to provide clear information regarding transactions in our app,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Kelvin Hong, director of brand marketing at A&W Restaurants Indonesia commented that businesses should have a clear omnichannel strategy that merges not only the sales channel touchpoints but also the communications channel, with a clear and consistent messaging.

“The key here is touchpoints that matter; and that builds the base for an omnichannel strategy to have a clear starting point. If we have additional insights, we can look into enhancing the customer or user experience across different channels, e.g. website, navigation, apps, social media, online sales etc.to build a better personalised user experience with good insights that can further craft our deliverables better,” he said.

Kelvin also points out that in order to have an effective omnichannel strategy today, brands should identify what channels are important to their customers for the brand concerned, what are the pain points (if any) on these channels (from the brand) and ensuring that the brands are present in these channels that matters to them with consistent messaging albeit some creative flexibilities. 

For Staventram Inri, performance marketing section head at Astra Financial, businesses can ensure seamless integration across various touchpoints to provide customers with a cohesive and personalised experience through a combination of strategic approaches, and that establishing a unified customer profile is crucial.

“By consolidating data from all touchpoints such as website interactions, social media engagements, and in-store purchases into a single Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, businesses can gain a comprehensive view of each customer. This allows for personalised recommendations and tailored interactions based on individual preferences and behaviours,” he said.

Challenges in AI integration into customer engagement strategies

Adrian Hoon, co-founder & COO / CMO at GetPlus has enumerated various challenges on AI-powered customer engagement strategies–including data readiness, quality and integration (referring to how inconsistent and incomplete data data can significantly hamper the performance of AI tools); how integrating AI with legacy systems and existing customer engagement tools can be complex and resource-intensive; as well as balancing the need for personalised experiences with the efficiency of generalised AI models can be difficult.

He added that solutions included having unified data platforms which will implement integrated data management platforms that consolidate data from various sources, implementing AI in a phased, modular approach to minimise disruptions and ensure smooth integration, developing segmented AI models that cater to different customer groups for more tailored interactions, as well as using real-time data and machine learning to dynamically personalise interactions.

Meanwhile, Dian also highlights other challenges like the lack of AI expertise, ethical concerns, and potential bias in these systems. For her, businesses should foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning, encouraging employees to embrace new technologies and ways of working. Moreover, businesses should also implement ethical AI frameworks and conduct regular audits of their AI systems to ensure fairness and transparency. 

“Businesses often face difficulties in consolidating data from disparate sources and ensuring its accuracy and relevance. Businesses can invest in data governance frameworks that standardise data collection, storage, and processing practices. Implementing AI solutions with built-in data cleaning and normalisation capabilities can also enhance data quality, she said.

Balancing AI-driven automation and human touch

For Dian, striking a balance between AI-driven automation and the human touch involves a strategic approach that leverages the strengths of both. So it is important to first identify touchpoints where human interaction adds significant value, such as in resolving complex issues, providing personalised consultations, or offering empathetic support.

“Businesses can use AI to empower agents by providing agents with real-time data analysis, customer history, and sentiment analysis to better inform their interactions. This allows human agents to deliver more personalised and effective customer service,” she said.

Dian further added, “Clearly communicate to customers when they are interacting with AI versus a human. Transparency fosters trust and this allows customers to enjoy the convenience of AI while giving them the choice to reach a human agent if needed.”

Meanwhile, Wilson highlights that this balance depends on how technologically savvy the brand’s customer profile is and what their journey looks like across the brand’s customer journey diagram. In their case, they combine digital and offline touchpoints, including an online platform that enables customers to browse and purchase products, as well as physical hubs located in rural areas.

“We collaborate with technology players, financial institutions, and government agencies to facilitate access to financial literacy. We also create micro-events that serve as local brand activation initiatives, providing immersive shopping experiences for our customers, enhancing brand visibility and credibility, and collecting valuable market insights,” he said.

Gerald Tjan, Director of APAC Scale & SMB/Startups, Braze added: “There must be a balance between AI-driven automation and the human touch. While we embrace technologies to help make our work easier, we must integrate the human element into the customer experiences we provide in order to build long-lasting relationships 

***

In conclusion, enhancing customer engagement is crucial in today’s competitive market. However, inconsistent and incomplete data can significantly hinder AI-powered customer engagement strategies, leading to suboptimal results. It’s essential for businesses to be transparent with their customers about whether they are interacting with an AI tool or a human representative, as this clarity can build trust and improve the overall customer experience. 

Furthermore, fostering collaboration among teams and leveraging their collective insights is key to refining and optimising existing engagement strategies. By addressing these aspects, businesses can create more personalised, effective, and trustworthy interactions with their customers, ultimately driving loyalty and satisfaction.

Learn more about actionable trends and insights in the customer engagement space by checking out Braze’s “The State of Customer Engagement in APAC” report, which highlights insights from APAC marketing executives and how they can provide actionable solutions to the strategic challenges they present.

As consumer expectations continue to evolve in an ever-evolving consumer landscape, simply offering a product or service is no longer sufficient to capture and retain attention. Instead, brands must actively cultivate meaningful interactions with their audience to foster loyalty, drive sales, and build long-term relationships.

Engaging customers through personalised interactions, whether through social media, email campaigns, or experiential marketing, helps brands cut through the noise and establish a genuine connection. By prioritising customer engagement, brands can turn satisfied buyers into loyal ambassadors who champion their products or services to friends, family, and followers.

To continue fostering discussions on the importance of customer engagement strategies amongst businesses, MARKETECH APAC in partnership with Braze, invited top leaders from Singapore for a roundtable event titled The Future of Customer Engagement: Trends and Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Game, to share their insights on customer engagement strategies, and how they’re implementing various forms of it across their marketing strategies. What resulted was a lively and positive outlook on how marketers in the country can move forward as an industry that embraces AI-powered customer engagement technologies as part of its DNA.

Marketing leaders who attended the event include:

  • Adrian Koh, head of growth at Alta
  • Shawn Kong, marketing & engagement team lead, government digital services at GovTech Singapore
  • Brenda Maderazo, deputy director at Health Promotion Board
  • Jasmine Osada, regional digital marketing lead at Lendlease Singapore
  • Wilfred John Allais, marketing lead at Ohmyhome
  • Jeslyn Tan, CEO at Stellar Ace Pte Ltd
  • Kit Pui Lee, director of marketing at The Esplanade Co Ltd
  • Martin Li, ex-global marketing director at VT Markets

Leading the roundtable conversation is Yi En Chye, GM APAC & director, strategic consulting at Braze, who highlighted that the ability to listen, understand and act is important for good engagement and should transcend all channels, allowing the brands to meet the customers where they are.

Citing data from Braze’s latest ‘Customer Engagement Report 2024,’ she states that around 99% of respondents say their organisation is already using AI, with 79% applauding its ability to help automate routine tasks and free up more time for creative thinking. However, while enthusiasm and adoption of AI in general is widespread, most brands are not yet using it in transformative ways.

“To make the most of AI, it’s important to leverage it not just as a way to give marketers breathing room, but as a partner of sorts, a co-pilot that can work alongside to support creative and strategic work. When we treat AI as an advisor and collaborator, a wide range of new possibilities open up, creating new efficiencies and greater impact,” Yi En stated.

Yi En also added that having good modern technology means that you can confidently do that and personalise at scale, encouraging marketers to imagine what a good conversation is like in real life–it’s two way, it’s in the moment and is responsive to the context.

“The technology itself should be accessible to everyone, something that’s easy to utilise. That way, as a first step, data and tech can be democratised. Simply sharing data doesn’t guarantee a truly responsive customer experience, it requires continuous collaboration and alignment. Based on the report, our data suggests that more frequent communication is more impactful. Top-performing brands are 82% more likely to involve multiple teams and sync weekly on customer engagement, compared to other companies. This helps to support an aligned approach to customer engagement, especially on the topics of performance, data needs, and customer insights,” they explained.

Reshaping the omnichannel landscape for seamless customer engagement integration

For Martin Li, ex-global marketing director at VT Markets, he understands that modern technologies are fundamentally reshaping the landscape of omnichannel engagement in two key ways namely personalised experiences at scale and seamless and integrated interactions. This specifically includes artificial intelligence and data analytics.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics allow businesses to gather and analyse vast amounts of customer data, which can be used to create highly personalised experiences across all touchpoints, from targeted advertising and product recommendations to real-time customer support,” he said.

Martin also added, “Omnichannel platforms and marketing automation tools allow businesses to create consistent messaging and a smooth customer journey, regardless of whether a customer interacts with them online, in-store, or via social media.”

He also added that businesses need to map out the typical paths customers take when interacting with their brands, identifying potential pain points and opportunities for improvement.

“[Businesses must] maintain a consistent brand voice, tone, and visual identity across all touchpoints, fostering brand recognition and trust. Finally, leverage customer data to deliver personalised content, product recommendations, and promotions tailored to individual needs and preferences,” he said.

Challenges and opportunities for AI-driven automation for customer engagement strategies

Meanwhile, Adrian Koh, head of growth at Alta, noted that in the case of niche industries like Alta, the benefits for implementation may seem limited at the start.

“All is not lost; implementing AI tools for instant chats with customers, or generating content for marketing collaterals, can still be implemented so long as there is a person with a firm grasp of the subject matter steering the outcomes. In these cases, it’s more useful to think of AI as a co-pilot, and not a full replacement for human talent, at least for now,” he explained.

Koh noted, however, that as a firm thinks about implementing AI for customer engagement, businesses can immediately start their teams working with AI tools to take exploratory steps.

“Given the speed of AI advancement, a purpose-built tool might not be too far off in the distance; in which case, it is best not to be caught lagging too far behind competitors as new standards for customer engagement emerge,” he added.

When asked about how businesses can balance AI-driven automation and the human touch in customer engagement efforts, he says that for now, there’s no replacement for the human touch, no matter how unevenly it may be applied.

“This means businesses are likely to have to maintain a baseline level of human agents to facilitate customer engagements until AI tools can meet the task of facilitating customer experiences seamlessly,” he said.

He also added, “The key part of smoothening out AI and human-driven interactions is maintaining transparency with customers. Businesses need to communicate that AI bots are there to ensure timely and responsive answers on demand, but that the customer can always choose to speak to an actual person, though person-to-person interactions are dependent on availability.”

Meanwhile, Martin said that in order for AI integration to properly work, companies need to have a practical solution like establishing an Internal AI Committee: a cross-functional team to study AI, explore its potential applications, and develop a comprehensive strategy for integration.

“This committee can focus on identifying areas where AI can enhance customer engagement and drive business value. Developing clear ethical guidelines for AI development and use and addressing staff concerns through transparent communication and potential reskilling initiatives,” he said.

As for Wilfred John Allais, marketing lead at Ohmyhome, he said that the major challenges when integrating AI into customer engagement strategies is the risk of losing customers’ trust and engagement with their platforms. 

“The impersonal nature of AI responses can lead to a lack of personalisation in addressing customer inquiries. Ideally, we should find a balance where AI is used to enhance and improve interactions with customers, rather than replace them,” he said.

When asked about how to properly balance AI integration with the typical business process, Allais notes, “The approach may vary depending on the business type and how customers typically engage with it. Generally, I would recommend using AI to handle repetitive and routine inquiries, while delegating the more complex issues to a relationship manager. Additionally, if AI is unable to resolve an issue after several attempts, it should promptly escalate the inquiry to a relationship manager.”

To sum all up the insights, it is worth understanding that AI integration into customer engagement strategies is not just a trend but a strategic imperative for businesses striving to thrive in today’s dynamic market landscape. By harnessing the power of AI, businesses can unlock deeper insights into customer preferences, enhance personalisation efforts, streamline processes, and ultimately foster stronger connections with their target audience. Embracing AI-driven customer engagement is not merely about staying ahead of the curve; it’s about redefining the standard for customer experiences and securing a competitive edge in the digital era.

Philippines – As MARKETECH APAC’s What’s NEXT conference returns to the Philippines, we are proud to announce that Braze has joined us as a Gold Sponsor and will be kicking off the discussion on how AI can help revolutionise customer engagement.

The company enables marketers to unleash their creativity through its customer engagement platform, which delivers relevant, cross-channel experiences. Additionally, it offers innovative AI functionalities like Sage AI, which assist in reinforcing the connection between consumers and the brands they love. 

Alex Crouch, Strategic Enterprise Lead, Hong Kong & The Philippines at Braze, will deliver a keynote presentation on the potential and significance of artificial intelligence in providing meaningful customer interactions in today’s dynamic era of engagement.

This discussion proves advantageous for brands and marketers. By leveraging cutting-edge AI innovations to fortify customer engagement strategies, they can achieve levels of personalisation and satisfaction surpassing those of traditional chatbots. Additionally, this streamlines tasks, enabling teams to concentrate on strategic and creative endeavours.

Teddy Cambosa, regional editor at MARKETECH APAC, said, “As we step into 2024, businesses must recognise that the currency of success flows not just through transactions, but through the bonds forged in meaningful engagement. In the symphony of commerce, customer engagement is the soulful melody that resonates beyond transactions, orchestrating loyalty and advocacy. As the curtain rises on this new chapter, businesses must tune their instruments to the rhythm of authentic connection, conducting conversations that echo empathy, innovation, and understanding. We look forward to what Braze will bring to the table in terms of imparting actionable customer engagement insights for Philippine marketers.”

MARKETECH APAC’s “What’s NEXT 2024: Marketing in the Philippines” conference is the third instalment of the What’s NEXT 2023-2024 Series conferences. It will feature a diverse lineup of industry leaders across multiple local and global brands including Adobe, Brandwatch, Cebu Pacific Air, Colgate-Palmolive, DITO, Emma – The Sleep Company, foodpanda Philippines, GoTyme Bank, Home Credit Philippines, UnionBank, and more.

Head over to the official event site to see the full agenda and roster of speakers of What’s NEXT 2024: Marketing in the Philippines.

Singapore – As MARKETECH APAC brings its What’s NEXT series to Singapore, we are proud to announce that Braze has joined us as a Gold Sponsor for this conference and will be leading the discussion on how AI can help revolutionise customer engagement.

The company empowers marketers to tap into their creativity through its customer engagement platform that delivers relevant, cross-channel experiences, as well as innovative AI features such as Sage AI that helps assist in reinforcing the connection between consumers and the brands that they love.

Through the conference, Yi En Chye, GM APAC & director, strategic consulting at Braze, will be presenting a keynote presentation that explores the potential of artificial intelligence in providing meaningful customer interactions in today’s dynamic era of engagement.

This discussion is beneficial for brands and marketers as reinforcing customer engagement strategies with the help of the latest AI advancements can ensure a degree of personalisation and customer satisfaction that goes beyond the effectiveness of methods such as traditional chatbots, as well as making tasks easier and more efficient for teams to focus on strategising and other creative efforts.   

Teddy Cambosa, regional editor at MARKETECH APAC, said, “Embracing AI to transform customer engagement isn’t just about innovation; it’s about forging invaluable connections. By leveraging AI technologies, we empower businesses to understand, anticipate, and exceed customer needs, thereby sculpting experiences that resonate and endure in the hearts of those we serve. We look forward to Braze’s presentation on aiding businesses to adopt more AI-powered solutions for their customer engagement strategies.”

MARKETECH APAC’s “What’s NEXT 2024: Marketing in Singapore” conference is the second instalment of the What’s NEXT 2023-2024 Series conferences. It will feature a diverse lineup of industry leaders across multiple local and global brands including Grab, HP, Kaspersky, Singapore Management University, Singapore Post, Standard Chartered Bank, StarHub, The LEGO Group, and more. Head over to the official event site to see the full agenda and roster of speakers of What’s NEXT 2024: Marketing in Singapore.

Manila, Philippines – With the majority of today’s businesses embracing the use of AI, it is no surprise that AI has placed itself as something that will be staying and breaking through even further in the field of customer engagement. Furthermore, in an industry where the demand for AI is consistently escalating, leveraging it to enhance customer engagement is now seen as a vital requirement for businesses to prosper in the digital era.

To help marketers unlock the potential of AI in customer engagement at a time when it matters the most, MARKETECH APAC returned with an exclusive webinar last January 24 titled “What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in Asia”, which aimed to impart valuable insights to marketers on how to properly integrate AI with customer engagement.

Kicking things off, Ranya Arora, senior strategic business consultant at Braze, highlighted in her keynote presentation that this impact brought about by AI in marketing has led businesses and marketers to adapt alongside it, with the emergence of AI-dedicated marketing teams as well as the prevalence of AI-powered campaigns, all to ensure personalised and streamlined experiences that greatly reinforce customer satisfaction and loyalty.

According to Arora, the significant rate at which marketing has adopted and integrated with AI has now transformed it into something that it is synonymous with, with 76% of CMOs saying that generative AI will change the way that marketing operates.

For her, there are three key roles of AI in customer engagement that marketers should focus on; (1) drive more relevance by making experiences feel personal on every channel by tailoring content to each customer based on their preferences, attributes, and behaviours, (2) drive more effectiveness by automatically testing and optimising campaigns for their best-performing version, and (3) drive more efficiency to assist with routine tasks to allot more time towards formulating strategies and creative approaches.

Meanwhile, Jia Ling Lim, assistant head of marketing and partnerships at BeLive Technology; Rolly Pane, managing director for Indonesia at Clozette; Saniya Dhingra Agarwal, head of customer experience at foodpanda Singapore; and Chris Martin Alarcon, head of content and community management at Home Credit Philippines also provided their industry insights on the benefits that AI can bring to enhance customer engagement strategies in a panel discussion.

The marketing leaders, from different industries and countries, also provided advice on how AI can be leveraged for following customer behaviour and personalisation through data insights, how to overcome obstacles in the process of utilising AI for customer engagement, as well as its future potential.

To sum it all up, the insights imparted by the webinar served as a guide for marketers to properly settle and get into utilising AI tools more effectively to improve their customer engagement strategies, paving the way for businesses and brands to flourish with the assistance of AI.

The webinar, titled What’s NEXT 2024: Customer Engagement in Asia is made in partnership with customer engagement platform Braze. It garnered over 100 participants all across Asia from prominent brands such as 2GO, Bounty Fresh, Carousell, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes Benz, and Shiseido, amongst many more.
   
If you missed going to the event, you may register HERE to obtain your on-demand access.

As of 4th January 2024, Chrome has officially started restricting third-party cookies by default for 1% of Chrome browsers. Once a gateway to personalisation, cookies collected behavioral data that enabled targeted ads and allowed marketers to serve up personalised experiences. However, when Google announced the change in 2020 citing ‘greater privacy for users’, it posed a substantial challenge to marketers relying on third-party data as part of their marketing strategy.

The change necessitated a shift towards collecting first-party data instead, but according to a Deloitte report, commissioned by Google, despite strong support for recent privacy changes, privacy is yet to become as much of a focus for sell-side players in APAC as it is in Europe or the Americas. The top three reasons holding organisations back from investing were the future state of privacy being too uncertain (30%), believing that there is no need to do anything further until the timing of platform changes is made clear, (25%) and businesses thinking they cannot compete with large digital platforms on audience matching, (25%). 

Another strong belief was that the first-party data would never be good enough, (23%). And to some extent, this is true, as the problem remains that data is only valuable when marketers are activating it and deriving insights from it – in real time. Chances are, most brands are already collecting lots of first-party data, from transactions to downloads, emails, and website analytics. But with all that, as well as any new initiatives to collect more data, such as surveys and loyalty or reward programmes, how can they avoid this data going straight to the graveyard? 

It starts with equipping tech ecosystems for real-time data agility

Effectively tapping into the power of first-party data starts with creating a unified customer view. It requires access to tech ecosystems that are built for data agility and real-time behavioural insights that marketers can easily act on. Data agility enables a brand’s data to move at the speed of its business, giving marketers the ability to collect, analyse, and disseminate information quickly and efficiently to meet goals at scale. For the best results, a tech ecosystem should encompass all channels and allow for meaningful personalisation that will ultimately build loyalty and drive conversions. 

Additionally, first-party data strategies and supporting technology need to be compliant with GDPR and ever-evolving privacy laws on a global scale. By having the right data management solution in place, marketers can compliantly extract information from end to end and quickly incorporate it into their personalised, dynamic messaging strategy.

Generative AI tools also pose exciting opportunities for markers, with the potential to revolutionise customer engagement campaigns by providing creative and personalised experiences. These tools can power customer-centric interactions between consumers and brands by speeding up the delivery of campaigns and empowering teams with ideas and content to cut through the noise. They can help create versions of campaigns across multiple channels for more targeted and personalised reach, ensuring brands don’t miss out on opportunities to connect with their audience in the right way and driving value across every touchpoint.

To save the most time and drive the most efficiency, marketers should look for built-in AI capabilities among their existing tech stack, leveraging the real-time data already at their disposal and taking it to the next level.

But what does real-time really mean?

When chasing the North Star of having unified customer profiles, they must be made up of real-time data. True real-time data that’s accessible and up-to-date at any given moment—not when the system syncs, once a day, or every couple of hours. It’s not the same thing. And although the difference might seem slight, it can have an incredible impact on marketing efforts. Being able to reach people in the right way, at the right time, on the right channel with a relevant message, cannot truly be achieved with data that isn’t of the moment. 

An example of a brand that recognises the value of true real-time data is Picklebet, an Australian sport and esports betting site that paired Braze with their proprietary betting engine to build a solution that enabled the team to personalise and test offers to individual users based on their preferences across a mix of channels. As business needs evolved, it became obvious that they needed a platform that could support the real-time and cross-channel experiences that customers have come to expect. By leveraging Braze’s real-time capabilities, Picklebet increased sessions per user by 116%, increased retention by 13% and saw a 550% improvement in CAC payback.

Final Thoughts

As the privacy landscape continues to evolve, first-party data and data consent will become even more important. This makes having an agile, unified and real-time data platform the best way to stay up-to-date and relevant. Without this, brands risk slowing business growth and missing out on all-important customer engagement opportunities that drive revenue. Investing time, effort and resources into this area will drive flexibility and more profitable customer engagement strategies that are effective both online and off. 

What’s Next?

  • Conduct an inventory – Identify all the first-party data available in the organisation and check how it is analysed and used. 
  • Integrate AI – Determine which of your current tools are capable of integrating with AI or have AI capabilities. 
  • Mobilise teams – Teams can be brought out of silos and start working together on exchanging information to see the benefits and uses of current first-party data.
  • Discover new sources – Pinpoint gaps in your data and analysis processes and systems and prioritise the gaps you need to fill. Decide on how you can acquire this new data. 
  • Unify real-time data – Unify your data for a holistic view of each customer with a platform that can help you reach these customers as and when you need to. Check for real-time ability and make sure that data is actionable at any given moment. 
  • Connect and engage – Use your data to create effective campaigns. Connect and engage with customers, test and experiment for continued optimisation and enhancement of your first-party data and its effectiveness. 

This article is written by Shahid Nizami, VP, Sales, APAC at Braze

The insight is published as part of MARKETECH APAC’s thought leadership series under What’s NEXT 2023-2024. What’s NEXT 2023-2024 is a multi-platform industry initiative which features marketing and industry leaders in APAC sharing their marketing insights and predictions for the upcoming year.

Manila, Philippines – Businesses of today are increasingly recognising the paramount significance of customer engagement for sustainable success. In this pursuit, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools has emerged as a game-changer. Leveraging AI’s power to comprehend and anticipate customer behaviour, preferences, and needs, companies can forge deeper connections with their consumers, delivering personalised experiences and fostering lasting loyalty.

Moreover, as customer expectations continue to evolve, harnessing AI tools to boost customer engagement is not just a competitive advantage but a necessity for businesses to thrive in the digital age.

This is what Sarah Chan, regional account executive at Braze, has pointed out. According to her, despite about 64% of marketers believing that AI adoption will be critical to establishing a competitive advantage, only 27% of marketers have deployed AI/ML in an active customer engagement strategy.

For her, there are three key steps marketers should take note of: (1) be more efficient in terms of spending more time driving strategy by leveraging generative AI for content assistance, (2) supercharge personalisation by means of tailoring content to each customer based on their unique preferences and behaviours, and (3) optimise conversions by automatically testing any campaign for the best-performing version.

Meanwhile, marketing leaders Greg Anonas, international wine and food marketing director at Emperador Distillers; Francis John Chua, marketing director, head of digital sales channels at Globe Telecom; and Albet Buddahim, chief marketing officer at PRIMER Group of Companies also provided their industry insights on how to deliver personalised and targeted marketing campaigns at scale using AI. 

The marketing leaders, representing their own industries, also shared their advice on how marketers can properly utilise these AI tools to their advantage and use it to assist them in conceptualising and executing their campaigns at the most optimal time and place.

All in all, the webinar laid out the foundations and key insights for marketers to be able to utilise AI tools to improve their own customer engagement strategies, as well as demystify the purported complexity of these tools for marketing strategies.

The webinar, titled The Future of Customer Engagement: Harnessing the Power of AI is made in partnership with customer engagement platform Braze.

If you missed going to the event, you may register HERE to obtain your on-demand access.