Wendy Grad

Plenty of companies measure their marketing activities, yet too often, they don’t make the most of it. Their measurement does not lead to useful actions or inform important strategic decisions. When one team optimizes for website traffic and another for in-store foot traffic, but do not communicate with each other, the company will end up with a disjointed marketing strategy or investments in the wrong audiences or metrics.

Many consumers, particularly millennials, now use their smartphones for most—and sometimes all—the steps involved in making a purchase. They research and compare products, check reviews, hunt for bargains and coupons, buy, pay and arrange delivery. Even consumers who purchase their products someplace else—on their PCs, on their tablets or in a physical store—often start the buying process on their phones.