Our annual marketing report hasn’t even published yet – that happens tomorrow. But we think the data is absolutely fascinating. Retail marketing has received a tremendous amount of attention over the last 18 months. It has gone from its own department doing its own thing – down to its own technology purchases – to the center of attention in an enterprise-wide omni-channel transformation. Big, rapid changes mean lots of new challenges, and this year’s benchmark report shows that retailers are feeling the pressure.Here are a few of the key findings to give you an idea of what’s to come:

• Retailers appear to be turning the corner on uncertainty about the economy and uncertainty about what role marketing should ultimately play within the enterprise – secondary to merchandising? Or primary function that stands on its own?

• Laggards seem to be on the cusp of leaving behind price as their only competitive differentiator. This has enormous implications for marketing, as they attempt to move from price-only strategy and communications, to more brand-oriented marketing.

• Marketing has a lot on its plate already, and the retailers who are moving quickly to consolidate digital and traditional marketing are creating enough pressure on their marketing departments that key digital strategies are getting left behind.

• Marketing is much more important to the retail enterprise, and thus marketing tools have increased in their perceived value to the retailers participating in our survey, almost across the board. However, a showdown is coming as to which platform will ultimately be the single customer interaction platform that retailers are looking for: will it be CRM or will it be the digital marketing platform that ultimately wins?