Vision #8 - The AI x Marketing Dispatch

Hey, it’s Shubham here, welcome to Edition #8

This week’s been all about smarter retention and faster campaign turnarounds at Questera. Let’s dive into what’s shaping the inboxes (and minds) of marketers like you.

What’s New in AI x Marketing:

1. McKinsey: State of AI 2025

   88% of companies now use AI, but only 23% have scaled agentic systems. Most are still testing how to operationalize AI in daily workflows.

2.  TikTok Shop Hits $19B, Rivals eBay Despite Regulatory Pressure

   TikTok Shop’s global quarterly sales hit $19 billion, matching eBay’s volume, with U.S. growth soaring 125% QoQ. Its “discovery commerce” model, where 83% of users find new products via shoppable videos continues to fuel momentum as it expands and tightens merchant vetting.

3.  Younger Consumers Trust Brands More Than Older Generations
   New research finds under-35s trust brands more easily, valuing reliability and performance over ethics. For older consumers, trust must be earned through transparency, values, and customer care, signaling a generational shift in how brands build loyalty.

2 Interesting Marketing Tactics:

1. Why Mixing Onboarding Patterns Can Hinder Activation

   Onboarding fails when too many patterns are introduced simultaneously. While each pattern may work on its own, they compete for attention and confuse users when combined. Research shows that adding multiple onboarding patterns, like wizards, tours, and checklists decreases completion rates. The key to success is a single, clear onboarding method, which boosts clarity, trust, and user engagement.

2. Hacking YouTube's ‘Ask’ Feature
   YouTube’s new Gemini-powered "Ask" feature, integrated into the analytics dashboard, offers insights into content engagement. Currently in beta, it includes three preset prompts, but you can pause the tool by clicking the ‘stop’ button in the chat window and enter your own custom prompt for deeper insights.

Elma Prompt of the Week - “Create a 3-step win-back email series for users inactive for 30 days. Use a friendly tone and mention their last purchased item.”

Try this prompt directly in Elma → [link]

 Industry Metric Breakdown:

1. Customer retention rates: Retail ~63%, Banking ~75%, Insurance ~83%, E‑commerce ~38%. 

2. Automated lifecycle marketing boosts open rates by 83%, click rates by 341%, and conversion rates by 2,270%. 

3. 10% increase in customer retention can drive a 30% revenue boost for brands using lifecycle strategies and AI personalization.

Top AI Tool Of The Week:

Stape GTM Helper is a free Google Tag Manager Chrome extension that streamlines GTM debugging. It simplifies error identification in GTM's debug mode by offering a structured, color-coded overview of GTM tags, making the process faster and more efficient.

That’s all for this week! If you found this newsletter helpful, feel free to share it with a friend or teammate - it could be just what they need!

Have ideas for future vision or any feedback? Reply directly to this email - I read every response.

(I talk about marketing hacks and interesting AI tools on my channels, follow along Youtube Instagram)

Until next time, Keep believing!

Shubham Nigam

Founder, Questera

[email protected]