Ad Tech Said to Let Retailers Predict Shopping Trends on Digital Channels

Bluecore Advertise launched a product that will let retailers predict what shoppers will buy next on over 20 digital ad channels -- including Google, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest -- so they can target shoppers on channels where they spend the most time. It partnered with Criteo, Google and Facebook on the targeting capabilities, it said Tuesday. Retailers will be able to predict what shoppers want to see next, orchestrate communications and reach a consumer with 1:1 recommendations, it said. The approach is different from retailers’ current retargeting efforts on digital ad channels, where “limited applications of first-party data often result in shoppers being served ads for products they have already seen or purchased, or which are irrelevant,” it said. This year, Bluecore will use artificial intelligence and machine learning to combine contextual insight with an understanding of where individual shoppers are in their buying cycles, allowing retailers to interact with shoppers according to known channel affinities and preferences, it said. If a shopper browsed 12 different pages on a brand’s site, Bluecore Advertise could determine that she should see a campaign aimed at driving conversion rather than one aimed at basic prospecting, it said. If a shopper is determined to be ready to buy shoes, Advertise would show her an ad for shoes she hasn’t already seen but is predicted to like.