The last five years have seen some profound changes in the marketing technology space. From businesses, to consumers, to marketers, the experience is ever-changing. Starting with the proliferation of available marketing technologies. Since 2018, Chief Martech has seen a near doubling of options with over 11,000 marketing software solutions at last count! Only adding to the mix is the impending demise of the "cookie" as web browsers phase out third-party cookies.
Fueled by a stay-at-home pandemic, the US Census Bureau tracked the total sales of retail purchases being made digitally rose from 9.4% to 15.6% since 2018.
Amidst this dynamic landscape, one element is/should be rising to the forefront of every marketer's agenda: application integration. In the age of the API economy, ensuring seamless communication between systems is crucial to achieving the hyper-personalization consumers now expect. Here we’ll explore three compelling reasons why application integration is becoming the new currency in the database marketing world.
1. Seamless Collaboration
For businesses managing a multitude of apps and software, the ability to facilitate a smooth data transfer between systems is paramount. Well-designed application integrations not only make data transfer effortless but also save time and reduce errors associated with manual entry. When data networks are in harmony, team productivity follows suit.
2. Driving Agility and Efficiency
Effective application integration allows organizations to stay nimble by swiftly incorporating new technologies and being more adaptable to change. By having already integrated systems it alleviates some of the challenges of launching new products and tweaking processes, thus preventing them from becoming overwhelming tasks. Likewise, the consolidation of customer data enables more personalized experiences, while streamlining business tasks leads to significant cost savings.
3. Unleashing the Power of Integration
In an era where cloud infrastructures and hybrid tech are becoming the norm, integration acts as the invisible glue binding disparate systems together. Connecting on-premises data warehouses with cloud-based CRM and intuitive AI marketing systems creates some real exciting possibilities. It's about extracting meaningful insights from a unified dataset, making data-driven decisions, and gaining a competitive edge in today's business landscape. Security is not overlooked either, with cloud identity and access management systems acting as vigilant bodyguards for integrated apps and their data.
As businesses navigate the evolving landscape, the ability to connect disparate systems will likely be a defining factor in their success. Those adept at leveraging application integration stand to gain a tactical advantage over their competitors and open doors for future agility and adaptability. For further insights into future-proofing your strategies, explore our article on The Rise of Zero Party Data.