Hit KPIs with a Flexible Marketing Plan

Flexibility Unlocks Better Results

As Q4 quickly approaches, peak season isn’t the only event marketers are planning for. They’re already setting their sights on the new year, evaluating the past months’ performance, and uncovering where they need to pivot to drive greater results in 2026.

But a historical lookback will only take marketers so far. Fluctuating market dynamics—such as tariffs, supply chain issues, and international package pricing—along with unpredictable customer behaviors make it difficult to deliver consistently relevant campaigns.

As customers evolve, marketers must be able to adjust audiences, creatives, and campaign timing automatically—something a flexible, AI-powered marketing plan makes possible.

Segmentation vs. Adaptable Audiences

Dividing customers based on their demographics or historical preferences is a great first step, but marketers have far greater potential at their fingertips.

Instead of segmenting customers into pre-determined buckets, use AI to select the most relevant content for individual recipients using their most recent series of actions along with predicted and known preferences. This ensures customers  receive content that is extremely relevant, even when it doesn’t “fit” within their demographic’s typical shopping habits. Prioritizing relevance over a pre-set plan guarantees every send strengthens loyalty, increases AOV, and drives conversions.

One Version vs. Infinite Variations

Batch promotions are a staple of the marketing calendar, but no campaign with a single marketer-selected hero image, subject line, and product grid will resonate with every customer. 

To solve this challenge, marketers can supplement their calendar with personalized sends that use composite images and AI-selected creatives. In this case, AI from Da Vinci will choose the hero image that is most relevant to the customer, while traditional personalization powered by Studio can layer in additional information, such as store location, loyalty points, product ratings and reviews, pricing, and more.

This campaign from Bloomingdale’s shows how AI and data-driven personalization can work seamlessly hand-in-hand. They used AI decisioning to select the hero content while the product grids were generated in real time to produce one unified, personalized image.

Marketers can also bring the same level of variety to subject lines. With the rise of Gmail’s New Subscription Manager, using powerful tools like Generative AI to keep them fresh and relevant is essential for capturing attention in the inbox.

One Send vs. Individualized Timing

Sending an email at 10:00 AM ET might sound good in theory, unless your customer is based in Australia—then you’re sending a message in the middle of the night when your content will likely be missed.

This is just one reason why flexible, personalized send times are such a game-changer for campaigns. AI can automatically select a time and frequency to suit when customers are likely to engage. By analyzing how often customers interact with your content, AI can expertly balance subscriber fatigue and strategic pacing.

How to Build a Martech Stack that Adapts

Adaptable audiences, infinite variations, and personalized timing sound great—but without automated solutions, marketers’ hands are tied. That’s where a powerful martech stack comes in: the right tools make it possible to optimize at scale while freeing up bandwidth to focus on creativity and strategy.

• Data-Driven Personalization: Any good campaign is built on a foundation of fresh customer data. With a traditional personalization engine, marketers can leverage customers’ most recent activities and current context to inform content and supplement it with key business data, such as product information, pricing, or inventory status.
• Robust AI: To smartly select the right content variation and campaign cadence for individual customers, rebranded ChatGPT isn’t going to cut it. Marketers need enterprise-ready solutions powered by Machine Learning and Deep Learning to deliver adaptable content that not only meets customers in the moment, but learns and iterates with every send. 

Set Yourself Up for Success with Smart KPIs

Once your flexible approach and enhanced martech stack are set, the final step is defining KPIs. The right goals will not only impress your boss next year, but also motivate you and your team to keep pushing the boundaries of incredible campaigns.

1: Set Realistic, Yet Ambitious Targets

The key is setting goals that push your team but still feel achievable. No matter the target, keep two things in mind: goals should ladder up to overarching business objectives, and secondary wins shouldn’t be ignored.

Secondary wins go beyond  clicks, conversions, and revenue— it’s also about metrics AI can improve, such as lowering unsubscribe rates or increasing AOV.

2: Include Continuous KPI Evaluation

While some goals need to remain concrete, others can afford flexibility. Even with AI, marketers don’t have a crystal ball for market changes and global customer trends. Incorporate regular check-ins to ensure that your KPIs are still relevant, and don’t be afraid to shift goals when it makes sense.

3: Embed Flexibility Into Your Game Plan

In the same vein, the methods you use to reach your KPIs must also be adaptable. If your team prioritizes conversions over clicks and opens, you can’t expect the same campaigns to deliver. Automation is key, allowing you to adjust campaigns quickly without the manual effort.

Now’s the Time to Set Your Flexible Marketing Plan

With the power of AI and data-driven personalization, marketers can set themselves up for success with an adaptable, real-time marketing plan that remains ever-relevant to customers.

Discover what else AI and data-driven personalization can accomplish by booking a call with us or exploring the related resources below.