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Small but Mighty
A dedicated group of Braze customers pioneering customer engagement solutions within their small teams.
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Financial Services
Join Braze customers from across financial services to connect, share industry insights, and discuss customer engagement strategies that deliver trustworthy experiences.Recent Content
January 2025: Introduction to SQL in Braze
Hey folks, In place of a live session this month, we have recorded an interactive session - Introduction to SQL in Braze. Have you ever wondered about how you can use SQL in Braze to enhance your segmentation and user targeting, as well as your message engagement analytics? Platform CSMs, Alex and Octavian have got you covered! In this quick yet comprehensive video, they present applications for SQL in Braze, go over basic and advanced SQL concepts and look at a direct use case you can apply in your own Braze instance. You’ll likely find this session to be useful if you are in the early stages of using SQL both generally and in Braze and you wish to understand more about the applications of its use in some of our features such as Query Builder or Segment Extensions. If you’re already an SQL whizz, you might find the content more elementary. The session is structured as follows: Intro to SQL as a database query language Basic SQL concepts General applications of SQL in Braze The 2 types of SQL Segment Extensions Advanced SQL topics Real Query Builder SQL use case The session is under 15 minutes long and can be viewed here. You can also take a look at the slides here which include additional resources on SQL. All of the best, Small But Mighty Team
From Skeptic to Believer: Crossing the Crypto Barrier in 2025
Last week, Motley Fool published the results of its 2025 Cryptocurrency Investor Trends Survey. The survey of 2,000 U.S based respondents provides a sense of what the outlook on crypto is heading into 2025. Within this investing focused population, sentiment on the industry is mixed. While 50% think the market will perform positively in 2025 due to the new administration, only 42% said they're likely to buy cryptocurrency this year, in line with last year's findings during a less bullish environment. Additionally, making that first purchase into crypto may take some convincing as 84% of respondents who have never owned it said they're unlikely to buy it this year. As for why they're not purchasing crypto, 31% of respondents cited security concerns, but the most cited answers were not knowing what to do with it (36%) and not understanding how to buy it (33%). So why does this matter? Well as the survey shows, it's clear there is still a lot of confusion and uncertainty around the crypto Industry even from people who are interested in investing. If you overlay this with concerns of trust in the broader Financial Services Industry where 50% of consumers cite trustworthiness as the most important factor in choosing a bank - crypto brands are going to have to work that much harder to build trust and engage a population of users who may be struggling to get past the clear barrier of entry into this space. Creating an engaging welcome experience while tailoring messaging to user preferences, whether it's education, or additional product offerings is critical for crypto brands. While this may require multiple layers of segmentation and personalization the juice seems to be worth the squeeze. As the article highlights, once people adopt crypto they tend to continue to purchase more and are open to additional products and services. 66% of those surveyed who already own crypto said they're very likely to buy more in the coming year, while 86% of that same population would consider using a credit card with crypto rewards. Whether you're bullish or bearish on crypto, 2025 promises to be potentially the biggest year for the industry yet.
2024 Financial Services Marketing Trends to Watch
3 MIN READ Financial services brands are making gains in employing marketing best practices to achieve impressive results. They’re leveraging advanced segmentation, using zero-party and first-party data for campaign planning, and, more than any other sector, they regularly collaborate across the organization on customer engagement initiatives. Here are a few of the top 2024 financial services marketing trends that surfaced from our fourth-annual Global Customer Engagement Review (CER). Let’s dive into the findings and review how FinServ marketers can get and stay ahead. The Top 5 Key Trends for Financial Services Marketers Financial services organizations need the right tools and skills to better leverage data for customer engagement. Financial services companies stand to benefit from sharing key marketing priorities with data scientists and business intelligence (BI) teams, as they’re in the best position to help marketers apply data for more effective customer engagement. At the same time, it’s important to upskill marketers so they can work more independently without having to rely on outside teams. Equipping marketers with tools capable of automating data analysis and the next best action helps close these skill and knowledge gaps across the organization. 2. Leveraging the right channels can help FinServ brands drive session engagement and retention. Braze data reveals that marketers using out-of-product channels like email and push notifications can see major uplift in session engagement and retention. Cross-channel campaigns that leverage multiple in-product and out-of-product channels are also highly effective for engaging and retaining FinServ customers. 3. Lacking the technology to bring their team’s ideas to life is the #1 challenge for FinServ marketers looking to be more creative and strategic. More than four in ten FinServ marketers say their current toolset stands in the way of executing creative ideas. Other top roadblocks include a focus on KPIs over creativity and an inability to demonstrate the ROI of creativity. 4. Financial services organizations are leading the way when it comes to dynamic, data-driven segmentation. Historically, financial service organizations haven’t led the way in customer engagement, but that’s changing. The industry is putting stronger strategies in place this year—and beyond. From a technology perspective, financial services brands excel at customer segmentation, particularly at leveraging real-time segmentation based on up-to-the-moment information about customer behavior, interests, transactions, and interactions—38% of surveyed marketers in this sector are operating at the top level for segmentation, a higher share than any other vertical. FinServ companies are also at the forefront of utilizing various data sources to strategize future campaigns. Marketers in this industry lead all other sectors by 13 percentage points when it comes to using zero- and first-party data for campaign planning. 5. Despite skepticism, there are big opportunities for FinServ brands to use AI. Our research shows that 25% of marketing executives in the FinServ industry have an unfavorable view of AI, making this sector less receptive to AI compared to most others. However, to stay competitive and innovative, many FinServ brands are still looking to invest in AI technologies. These brands are increasingly planning to use AI for real-time optimization, data insights, and creative ideation, recognizing the potential of these capabilities to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency in a rapidly evolving market. Final Thoughts FinServ companies recognize the importance of customer engagement, to the tune of tremendous growth over the past year. Going forward, marketers must prioritize technology that provides deep insight and enables goals for personalization and cultivating deeper customer relationships. Want to learn about how FinServ brands can leverage customer engagement to drive success? Check out our Financial Services Mini-Guide for actionable strategies to drive growth. About the Study These findings are part of our broader fourth-annual Global Customer Engagement Report, which draws on the following sources: Market research featuring 1,900 VP+ marketing decision-makers across 14 countries in three global regions. An analysis of Braze proprietary data, including 9 billion global users and nearly 1,000 Braze customers in 50+ countries, via our leading customer engagement platform. In-depth interviews with marketing leaders from best-in-class brands in five industries across three regions.How Samsung Wallet, Panera, and BET+ Use Experimentation to Optimize Engagement
4 MIN READ Marketing experimentation transforms uncertainty into clarity, allowing brands to ask questions, try new approaches, test hypotheses, and let data drive their decisions. At Forge 2024, we sat down with three industry leaders, Catherine Thacker from Panera, Angela Onwuka from BET+, and Peter Isaacson from Samsung Wallet, to discuss how experimentation fuels engagement and conversion. During the session, the speakers emphasize that curiosity, combined with the right tools, can make experimentation more effective. They reveal that testing isn’t just a strategy; it’s a necessity for understanding what resonates with your audience. Join us as we explore their proven approaches to marketing experimentation and discover how you can implement these strategies to optimize your customer engagement efforts. Our Hypothesis: Experimentation Drives Higher Engagement OK, so it isn’t so much a hypothesis as a proven fact: Marketing experimentation drives higher engagement. “We are constantly testing and evolving, enhancing our engagement from marketing, lifting MAUs, sessions, and stickiness significantly”, says Peter. “If you aren’t testing then that’s a missed opportunity,” Angela adds. “Testing and optimization are important because they let you understand what resonates with your audience. This helps you get the most out of each touchpoint with your customers and prospects.” Catherine Thacker agrees, commenting that “without testing, you don’t know that you’re landing the right message with the right audience in the right place at the right time.” And that knowledge drives results. Getting Started: “Test Anything” Say Experts One barrier to experimentation is overwhelm. Marketing experimentation can cover anything from copy and creative, to cadence and messaging. How do you choose what to test? “Test anything,” encourages Peter. “Copy, button color, a new subject line… You will start to learn so much about your users in a way that surveys or static data can’t show you.” Peter suggests using customer research as a launchpad. “Customer insights are a critical testing input. Conduct customer insight surveys. Is the messaging unclear? Should the offer be richer? The survey responses will provide insights to inform your tests.” But how can you make sure you get your marketing experiments right the first time? Our experts give you permission not to. “Don’t let perfection stand in the way of progress’ says Catherine. ‘Just because you can’t design the most ideal test for your scenario shouldn’t stop you from trying things in small increments. They’ll start adding up to bigger outcomes and impact. Start with what’s doable, what’s going to easily build that muscle, and demonstrate that it’s a worthwhile practice.” Moving Forward: Be Strategic As you grow in confidence and your culture of experimentation matures, how do you stay focused on the experiments that move the needle most for your business? And ensure your data is undeniable? Processes, prioritization, and measurement are key. “There have to be processes by which you intake, prioritize, and execute the tests,” advises Catherine. “Aligning on measurement and methodology is important to ensure that when you report results, there’s credibility there.” Angela recommends a “testing roadmap” to prioritize your tests and “understand the full scope of requirements to go live” so that you can align your resources such as your data team and your creatives to execute successfully. Peter agrees saying “You need to be clear about what you’re optimizing with your test plan” before reiterating the importance of having the right people in place. “You need the right team around you to support all that’s needed to plan and execute tests. You’ll need product and engineering teams; a designer or agency to develop creative iterations quickly; and someone to write the copy and plan the tests.” Future Trends: AI Advances With all the buzz around generative AI for copywriting, you may be surprised to hear someone advocating for old-fashioned human writers. While all of our experts are using Artificial Intelligence to enhance their productivity and results, they’re balancing that with human creativity. “Gen AI content is something we’re still playing around with but seeing good results. When we’re running Gen AI subject lines at scale in a campaign, we consistently see 15% lifts in open rate and a lift in conversion rate,” says Catherine. However, they’re still experimenting to achieve their desired brand voice with AI. Peter concurs that AI is advancing for copywriting but isn’t their go-to yet. “It’s always interesting to see what copy AI recommends but I still view it as a companion versus a necessary tool. I think, as AI develops, this will change and that could be very soon.” However, when it comes to other uses of AI, past generative copywriting, such as analytics and intelligent timing, our experts are delighted. “It’s extremely effective for running personalization at scale,” says Catherine. “You can set parameters like spend and profitability and starting audience, and it will continuously learn what offers and stimuli individuals respond to.” Looking to the future, Angela believes AI will “begin to play a larger role in A/B testing predictions for marketers” and “deliver statistically significant test results more quickly”. This is exciting stuff and as we always say, there’s never been a better time to be a better marketer. Learn More This is just the tip of the advice iceberg. To learn more about experimentation, like the difference between tactical and strategic tests, when to use multivariate experiments, and how to integrate Braze and other tools into your tech stack, check out Forge on demandCreative Spotlight: Shake Shack's Congestion Pricing Campaign 🍔
Spotted in my email inbox: Welcome to the first edition of our Creative Collective spotlight! This space is dedicated to showcasing innovative campaigns that redefine customer engagement, and we're excited to kick things off with a look at Shake Shack's recent Congestion Pricing campaign. In response to New Yorkers grappling with the challenges of congestion pricing, Shake Shack launched a clever initiative that resonates with the local community. The campaign features a $9 Combo meal deal, perfectly mirroring the new toll price, which includes a delicious ShackBurger and fries. What makes this campaign particularly creative is its real-time execution and use of geo-segmentation. By targeting customers in areas affected by congestion pricing, Shake Shack effectively drives engagement and encourages high-value actions—specifically, placing orders through their kiosks or mobile app. This approach enhances the customer experience and fosters a sense of connection between the brand and its patrons. 🗣️Now, we want to hear from you! Share your spotted creative campaigns this month and let’s inspire each other with fresh ideas.
Trust at Every Touchpoint: Why Customer Engagement is a Crucial Component in Your Overall Risk Management Strategy
Hello! Erin Bankaitis here 👋 Director of Industry Marketing and Lead for Financial Services at Braze. Thank you all for joining the Financial Services Community Group, and be on the lookout for more content in the coming year! 🎉 To start, I'd love to share a recent guide I created that speaks to a few hot topics in the industry, such as trust, data governance and tech stack modernization. This guide also includes Braze's perspectives on how financial services companies can (and should!) rethink their approach to risk management, viewing it as a growth mechanism rather than just a protective measure. Get the guide here I hope you all enjoy this guide. Any questions or perspectives? Let's start a discussion! 🗣️ Best, ErinHappy Holidays from the Creative Collective! 🎉
Hi Creative Collective 🤩, As we approach the end of the year, I want to thank each of you for being a part of our community. We wish you all a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year! As we reflect on the past year, here are some valuable resources we’ve shared: Melting Points AI: New Flavors of Creativity How to Speak the Love Language of Loyalty Highlights from the 427 Innovation Lab: Learn from Panera Bread and KFC Retain Your Holiday Customers Into the New Year and Beyond Looking ahead to 2024, we’re excited to focus on growing our community and hosting in-person events around the globe! If you’re interested in meeting up and connecting with fellow creatives, please let us know—we’d love to hear from you! Thank you once again for your contributions this year. Here’s to a fantastic New Year filled with creativity and collaboration!The Power of Year in Review Campaigns
3 MIN READ As we wrap up another year, one campaign style continues to dominate inboxes and social feeds: the "Year in Review" email. It’s a shining example of how "Data is the New Creative" when it comes to driving customer loyalty and retention. Spotify Wrapped may be the poster child, but they don't own the idea exclusively! Here are 4 more best-in-class examples that prove the versatility and impact of this approach: Strava: Year in Sport Strava’s "Year in Sport" campaign 2024 is a fitness enthusiast’s dream. Athletes receive a personalized summary of their total miles, elevation gains, and even their longest workout of the year. These data points are beautifully visualized and designed for easy sharing. The campaign has become a badge of pride for users, boosting Strava’s community engagement and app stickiness. Strava’s 2023 campaign saw over 12 million athletes share their personalized cards, with engagement rates 4x higher than their regular content. The genius? They transform raw numbers into meaningful milestones that athletes are proud to share. Tinder: Year in Swipe In the dating app category, Tinder’s "Swipe Stats" campaign is a cheeky take on Year in Review. Users receive stats like how many swipes they made, how many matches they got, and even their "Top Emoji." It’s fun, personal, and perfectly on-brand. This Year in Review drove a 15% rise in app reactivations, a 30% increase in social media mentions of Tinder during the campaign period, and an average session length increase of 12% as users explored and shared their stats. Social sharing skyrocketed as users laughed over their data—and their “romantic” accomplishments for the year. Duolingo: Year in Language Streaks Dulingo's year in review creates personalized stories of users' learning streaks, complete with quirky statistics like “how many mistakes you made”, "number of times you practiced at 3 AM" and "your most consistent studying day." The unhinged owl mascot's sassy commentary adds personality to the data, making these recaps both informative and entertaining. User sharing of these recaps drove a 51% increase in app downloads during their 2023 campaign. Nintendo Switch: Gaming Year in Review Nintendo transforms gaming data into a celebration of player achievements through their annual Year in Review campaign. 2024 is still upcoming. The 2023 Year in Review generated over 3.2 million social shares in the first week alone, with a 78% email open rate for the campaign - nearly triple Nintendo's average marketing email performance. The campaign also drove a 40% increase in Nintendo Switch Online app logins during the review period and resulted in a 25% uptick in game purchases among users who viewed their year-end recap. Most impressively, Nintendo reported that users who engaged with their Year in Review showed a 35% higher retention rate in the following quarter compared to non-engaged users, proving that personal gaming insights create lasting player connections. Why These Campaigns Work What makes these campaigns so effective? Personalization is the secret sauce: Personal relevance that makes users feel seen and understood Surprising insights that teach users something about themselves Beautiful, easily shareable visuals optimized for social media Cross-channel integration across email, push notifications, and in-app messaging Time-sensitive FOMO that drives immediate engagement Why It Works Beyond the Inbox The magic of Year in Review campaigns doesn’t stop at email. When paired with other channels like push notifications and in-app messages, they extend their reach and engagement. For example, sending a push notification with a teaser (“Your 2024 Wrapped is ready!”) can drive customers to open the app, explore their stats, and share them. These campaigns also strengthen retention by rewarding customers for their loyalty and creating a habit loop—users stick around because they’re curious to see next year’s recap. Over to You! Do you have a favorite Year in Review campaign you look forward to every year? Are you working on one for your brand or clients (or even yourself) right now? Reply below with your ideas, we'd love to help make them a reality! Happy New Year!Elevated Shopping Journeys Will Be Essential for Retail in 2025: Lessons from Black Friday/Cyber Monday
The Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping period is a major event for consumers and retailers alike. What did we learn from this peak event this year and why are elevated shopping journeys going to matter in 2025? Learn more in the latest blog from Braze.
