Advanced Analytics and Cross-Channel Integration are Fueling RTIM Adoption

LONDON, U.K. June 14, 2017Emarsys, a leading global marketing cloud company, announces that it has, for the first time, been included in the recently published report: The Forrester Wave:™ Real-Time Interaction Management, Q2 2017. Cited as a Strong Performer, Forrester includes Emarsys among the vendors that offer competitive options. Forrester cited Emarsys’ ‘easy-to-use RTIM package at an attractive price’ and ‘marketer-friendly UX.’ The independent research firm also recognized that Emarsys ‘initiatives are gaining traction’ and that the global marketing cloud provider is ‘leveraging investments to embed “hype-free and tangible AI”’.

Over the last year, Emarsys is increasingly being recognized as a provider of note and a strong performer by independent research firms, such as Forrester. For example, inclusion in another recent Forrester report on ‘AI Must Master the Basics Before It Can Transform Marketing’, which provides advice on how to assess the real potential of AI in martech, and The Forrester Wave™: Cross-Channel Campaign Management Wave, Q2 2016.

“Emarsys packages easy-to-use RTIM at an attractive price. Emarsys has steadily grown its retail install base and also sells its cost-effective B2C Marketing Cloud in the hospitality, leisure, and entertainment sectors. It is leveraging investments from TPG and Vector Capital to embed what it calls “hype-free and tangible AI” to address RTIM via its marketer-friendly UX,” wrote Rusty Warner, Principal Analyst Serving B2C Marketing Professionals at Forrester and author of the RTIM Wave. “Its initiatives are gaining traction, but we spoke with customer references who are currently using Emarsys for outbound email campaigns and event-driven messaging versus inbound, customer-initiated RTIM. These customers plan to roll out more real-time experiences, such as a new mobile loyalty app and proximity-based offers.”

“As we continue our high growth trajectory, we believe inclusion in important reports, such as the RTIM Wave, recognizes the value to customers, the hard work of our 700 employees and the growing importance and success of Emarsys globally,” says Allen Nance, CMO at Emarsys. “It is gratifying that Forrester recognizes us as a strong performer, as well as our marketer-friendly UX and hype-free and tangible AI capabilities. As the largest privately held marketing platform in the world, we combine these strengths with our global experience and team, and our natively built platform, to challenge both the way that marketers are able to work and incumbents in our market.”

Emarsys believes that real-time interaction management will be increasingly improved by and dependent on tangible, hype-free AI marketing solutions to execute on true personalization and at scale to large consumer audiences. We think this aligns to Forrester’s recommendations on the recent AI report, which is to ‘buy into AI for the efficiency, stay for the performance.’ The report continues, by highlighting that ‘time and time again, new trends make a splash only to fade away when next year’s model arrives. But AI is more than common marketing technology gimcrackery. Unlike innovations that make the classic mistake of attempting to replace existing technologies, AI is complementary to marketers’ skills, processes, and technology investments.”

What is the Forrester RTIM Wave?

Forrester defines RTIM as ‘Enterprise marketing technology that delivers contextually relevant experiences, value, and utility at the appropriate moment in the customer life cycle via preferred customer touchpoints.’ The report evaluated twelve vendors based on 32 criteria, including current offering, strategy and market presence.

To be included in the Forrester Wave evaluation for RTIM, vendors must:

  • Offer functionality that addresses the 5 primary RTIM requirements: customer recognition (cross-channel identity resolution), contextual understanding, decision arbitration, offer orchestration (cross-channel delivery), and measurement and optimization
  • Integrate customer data, advanced analytics capabilities, and multiple content types (dynamic, interactive, multimedia, and advertising content) to address contextually relevant customer experiences across a range of digital and offline channels
  • Achieve at least $50 million in annual revenue by addressing the RTIM requirements of enterprise B2C customers across multiple global geographies and vertical industries