PALM DESERT, CA ? A Kimberly-Clark executive at eTail West 2015 suggested that brands and retailers should leverage data as a currency and work together to optimize consumers? experiences via shared loyalty programs and user-specific customer promotions.

During the ?Buy Any Means Necessary: Blurring Of Lines Between The Retailers And Brands, Driven By Mobile Technologies? session, the executive advised marketers to be aware that consumers? tendencies to be ?always on? with mobile devices means that they can filter their brand preferences and turn off advertisements or marketing efforts immediately. He also claimed that brands and retailers should share data and engage in cross partnerships to augment potential sales and awareness.

?The consumer controls that real estate,? said Anthony Long, global commerce technology capability lead, Kimberly-Clark, Chicago, IL. ?When we print an ad as a brand, we?re in control of what we?re representing to the consumer.

?But the consumer controls what?s happening on their phone. They can replace us if they want to.?

The supply channel
Mr. Long said consumers are aware of the supply channel, especially as mobile allows them to become more connected to the brand. However, this makes it more difficult for retailers in the same sector, as a user can easily pull up a mobile Web site for one brand and then click away to another if the first does not hold their interest.

?The consumer doesn?t necessarily care about the supply channel, but they know it?s there,? Mr. Long said. ?[The consumer] can see which brands align with what she wants before she goes to the store.

?Mobile empowers the consumer to be more demanding. Everything is pretty much the same number of clicks away.?

Therefore, marketers should be aware that their mobile sites, ads or applications are taking up prime real estate on shoppers? phones and should work to ensure that they bring relevant value that will keep the customer coming back to the brand?s digital platforms.

?Mobile means we don?t control users? environments, so we don?t control where merchandising takes place,? Mr. Long said.

Data as currency
It is imperative for brands and retailers to engage in cross partnerships and marketing opportunities with each other to ramp up awareness. Furthermore, data is an optimal currency to share that will ensure both parties receive valuable information from the relationship.

?Data becomes the currency that brands and retailers exchange to validate the partnership,? Mr. Long said.

The data can help optimize how consumers search for products and how brands deliver contextual experiences.

?Search is the one way a consumer can quickly cut through the clutter,? Mr. Long said. ?Making search context-aware is critical.?

Marketers can also team up to develop user-specific consumer promotions and combined loyalty schemes that attract both brands? audiences. Ultimately, if both parties share equal amounts of data, a partnership will yield invaluable marketing opportunities and knowledge.

?Both the brand and the retailer don?t know what they don?t know,? Mr. Long said. ?If they respect that and work together, they will create the best experience for the consumer.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York