Target vs. Best Buy: comparing 2 of largest CRM programs

Early this summer, I launched an experiment to compare two lifecycle programs under identical conditions: I purchased the exact same product (a web camera), on the same day, with a new email, in a new containerized browser. And I did it for two of the biggest retail brands: Target and Best Buy.

I tracked every message that followed, and what I found changed how I think about every lifecycle program. They each reveal a big shift that’s happening in lifecycle and martech right now that most folks are missing.

🤔 Retail isn’t just about selling stuff anymore, it’s about using loyalty + CRM to power owned media networks.

Take a look at the breakdown:

• The entire post-purchase journey
• The strategy each retailer uses
• The different messages they send
• The actual segmentation and personalization logic
• The email calendar
• The data (volume, cadence, frequency, etc.)
• And so much more

It’s the closest thing you’ll get to actually looking inside their ESP instance.