Kashif Zafar is the CEO of Xmars, an AI-powered platform for advertising on Amazon. With over 25 years of eCommerce and digital marketing experience, he has built and guided high-performing teams across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Kashif has worked in several industries, including CPG, retail, outsourcing, technology, and blockchain. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [1:06] Kashif Zafar discusses the evolution of Amazon agencies and his involvement in the space
• [5:05] The importance of creative content in Amazon advertising strategies — and how AI is elevating content creation
• [11:51] Do brands need an Amazon agency?
• [18:09] Leveraging Amazon Marketing Cloud as an untapped advertising resource
• [22:45] Xmars’ trajectory and its adoption of AI
• [27:06] Kashif describes AI’s role in retail media and ad tech
• [37:58] How brands should approach the evolving retail media landscape
• [41:18] The emphasis on profitability and tech stack rationalization

In this episode…

With digital marketing and eCommerce strategies evolving rapidly, businesses are constantly seeking ways to stay competitive. From choosing the right technology to launching effective campaigns, the stakes are higher than ever. How can brands navigate this complex digital terrain to maximize growth?

As AI becomes a widespread presence in eCommerce, digital marketing maven Kashif Zafar advises Amazon brands to adopt various AI tools for content creation and innovation. This includes investing in AI-driven ad tech platforms to streamline and optimize advertising campaigns while minimizing hands-on involvement. Generative AI can also be used to create compelling PDPs that influence the Amazon algorithm and drive conversions. For a more supportive approach, invest in an Amazon agency that specializes in retail media and advertising, allowing you to gain insights into profitable strategies.

In today’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant speaks with Kashif Zafar, the CEO of Xmars, about the role of AI in advertising. Kashif talks about the untapped potential of Amazon Marketing Cloud, the newfound emphasis on tech stack rationalization, and his involvement in the Amazon advertising landscape.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn
• BWG Connect
• Kashif Zafar on LinkedIn
• Xmars

Quotable Moments:

• "It's fun to see now where we're at full-funnel advertising, looking at data that we've never had before."
• "The advantage of smaller companies, or smaller brands, is that they can be nimble."
• "You have so many things in your toolbox to win on Amazon... That's where an agency in today's world still can be very valuable."
• "AI in the ad tech space, it's the lowest hanging fruit. That's easy."
• "We're just scratching the surface of what [AI] really means for us."

Action Steps:

1. Embrace full-funnel advertising: Start employing a full-funnel approach to leverage multiple touchpoints in the customer journey for more conversions. This ensures no opportunity for engagement or conversion is missed across different marketing channels.
2. Leverage Amazon Marketing Cloud: Utilize AMC to gather rich consumer behavior insights to enhance targeting and personalization. This enables brands to understand their audience more deeply, tailoring marketing efforts for higher ROI.
3. Incorporate AI into sponsored ads: Integrate AI technology in advertising strategies for real-time optimization and higher efficiency. This improves ad performance through machine learning, reducing the need for constant manual adjustments.
4. Adopt an agile mindset: Maintain flexibility to test new technologies and pivot strategies, which is vital for staying competitive. This enables brands to adapt swiftly to new market conditions and emerging opportunities, keeping them ahead of the curve.
5. Secure a tech stack audit: Regularly evaluate and potentially rationalize the current stack to streamline operations and bolster profitability. A streamlined tech stack minimizes costs, simplifies operations, and focuses on tools that truly drive KPIs.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.