The Internet of Things & the Future of Digital Experience Management

A new product from Adobe lets marketers connect a customer's digital shopping habits with their offline ones, bringing all parts of the consumer journey together.

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) refers to the “smart” devices people use day-to-day, ranging from wearables like the Apple Watch to in-home appliances to car navigation and entertainment systems. And according to a recent study, consumer adoption of IoT technology is projected to increase over the next five years.

Specifically, the study found 69 percent of U.S. consumers surveyed indicated they plan to buy an in-home IoT device in the next five years, and that by the end of this year, approximately 13 percent of consumers will own one.

To help marketers navigate the increasingly connected marketplace, Adobe has created a new product, “AEM Screens,” to help brands connect with consumers in new ways during their shopping journeys.

According to data shared by Adobe Systems Incorporated, the top IoT devices consumers want to interact with digitally are:

  1. Home electronics (61 percent)
  2. Home appliances like thermostats, fridges, and ovens (54 percent)
  3. Cars (51 percent)

And when it comes to wearables like the Apple Watch, 27 percent of those who don’t currently own a smartwatch say they are (very) likely to buy one in the next six months.

So, how are marketers responding to IoT? While 74 percent of marketers see great potential in the impact of IoT and wearables, Adobe showed that it’s ranked as the biggest challenge amongst those surveyed.

To address this, at this week’s Adobe Summit, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) – a digital marketing product of Adobe Systems – introduced “AEM Screens” to bring the delivery of content into an interactive format in stores.

Loni Stark, senior director of strategy and product marketing at Adobe, said in a blog post that AEM effectively blends the “value of physical stores with the personalization and visualization powers of digital.”

adobe-aem-screens

Image Source: “AEM Screens,” Adobe Systems Incorporated

Designed to deliver a connected digital experience as customers go from their desktop computer or mobile app to actual physical locations such as retail stores and car dealerships, AEM Screens allow marketers to extend their reach beyond the Web.

With this technology, marketers can virtually “touch” consumers in their journey from the Web to physical locations.

So how could this potentially play out in an everyday scenario?

Stark explains in the following example:

Let’s say you’re deciding on a car to purchase. You may start the journey at home on the Web looking at makes and models and create a profile to explore options. Then, when you log into the brand’s mobile app, built on AEM Apps, you locate the nearest dealership and let them know you’ll be arriving for a test drive. At the dealership, with a swipe of your finger on the mobile app you can transfer the content you’re looking at onto a large screen in the showroom, driven by AEM Screens. This allows you to quickly share your context with the salesperson and continue the buying process.

The age of connecting with customers wherever they are – at home, on the go, or in-store – is here. With the ability to bring a brand’s experience to the customer at any point in the shopping journey, and the opportunity to be even more relevant to that person at the right time, we’re able to better close the gap between marketing and problem-solving in our customer’s daily life.

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