Sitecore XP 8.1 – A Marketer’s Perspective

Posted by Suresh Devanan

Customers want brands that take into account their needs and wants. They want faster service, a reliable shopping experience across channels, and more convenient ways to access a brand. With Sitecore’s new platform, businesses will be able to know every customer in the context of their interactions.

With customers now demanding more from their digital experience, the new release of Sitecore Version 8.1 will help marketers better understand the unique needs of their customers. This new update will allow marketers to turn every customer interaction into an experience by providing them the tailored content they desire. Sitecore will help marketers create personalized content through an omni-channel approach to gain key insights about every customer.

Sitecore will now call the next era of marketing, Context Marketing.

“Context Marketing is the ability to deliver the right content or experience to the right person, in the right place, and at the right time based on the sum total of that person’s past brand interactions and current needs”. – Michael Seifert, Sitecore CEO

Context Marketing will focus on these three capabilities:

Content Management – Content is key to deliver customers the tailored, personalized experience they are looking for. The Sitecore WCM will manage content for every interaction a customer has with a brand. The content will be delivered to any channel based on the context, location and other factors of customers. This will create a new engaging online experience for every customer, in the right place, and at the right time.
Contextual Intelligence – Will allow businesses to gain increasing knowledge on customer experiences. This will help marketers know who their customers are, what they care about, and what their needs are. User clicks will help bring customers to life and create a relationship. Every interaction will be mapped and with this information, businesses can deliver the most relevant, personalized experience a customer is looking for.
Communication Automation – Using an Omni-Channel approach, profiles will be mapped in real time data across multiple touch points. Customer interactions will now be integrated into one seamless flow of information. This will help create a connected, contextual experience on any and every channel your customer has access to.

To remain competitive, businesses need to understand that every customer is different, during every interaction and they need to be delivered the pieces of content that they want at the right moment. The only way to effectively manage customer experience is to do so in context of the customer’s previous interactions with a brand. Sitecore XP 8.1 has new features that will manage campaigns and the content they deliver to their customers. It will enable today’s marketers to turn every customer interaction into an extraordinary experience by offering relevant, personalized content to the right customers at the right time.