Rewriting the Promo Playbook with AI - Session AI

Rewriting the Promo Playbook with AI

Many retailers have become incredibly dependent on promotions to win and keep customers, but constant discounts erode profitability and weaken brands. In this video series, we explore how AI enables retailers to run fewer, smarter, and more targeted promotions – driving growth while protecting both margins and brand value.

How is AI changing how brands influence customer behavior in the moment?

How is AI changing how brands influence customer behavior in the moment?

"We are looking at an AI-driven 1:1 fully automated and orchestrated world rather than the old world of campaigns."

Why is the old-school “blanket discounting” approach no longer effective?

Why is the old-school “blanket discounting” approach no longer effective?

"It’s this kind of spiraling effect… you need promos to get people to your site and then you need more."

What is an alternative to sitewide discounting strategies?

What is an alternative to sitewide discounting strategies?

A smart alternative to sitewide discounting is offering incentives only when needed—based on real-time shopper behavior during their current session.

How does AI rewrite the old playbook on promotions?

How does AI rewrite the old playbook on promotions?

"The next frontier is using less promotional dollars to make more revenue while making the consumer really happy in their moment of need."

What’s the best way for brands to start using AI in their promo strategy?

What’s the best way for brands to start using AI in their promo strategy?

"We think about this as a 'crawl, walk, and run' journey because this is transformational, but it takes time."

What are some typical results brands can achieve within the first six months?

What are some typical results brands can achieve within the first six months?

"Typically, on a net of discounts basis, we are usually driving between 2 and 4% GMV, which is huge."

If you drop sitewide offers, can AI-driven ones make up for the traffic loss?

If you drop sitewide offers, can AI-driven ones make up for the traffic loss?

"You don't have to reduce your sitewide promos by very much in order to really take advantage of AI-driven offers."

Are discounts the only way to drive conversions?

Are discounts the only way to drive conversions?

"Fortunately not! A lot of brands don't do discounting."

Do AI-driven offers make it easier for shoppers to game the system?

Do AI-driven offers make it easier for shoppers to game the system?

"If you're issuing coupons selectively, in the moment… it becomes virtually impossible to game the system."

How do brands ensure AI promotions don't position them as discount brands?

How do brands ensure AI promotions don't position them as discount brands?

"If you wait till the moment when someone needs it, and then you issue them a carefully targeted discount, it's kind of the best of both."

What levers do teams control when using AI for ecommerce promotions?

What levers do teams control when using AI for ecommerce promotions?

"They have absolute control over the strategy — the outcome is deliberate from the perspective of the marketeer and the ecommerce person."

What are some things that prevent AI-driven offers from being effective?

What are some things that prevent AI-driven offers from being effective?

Real-time AI offers tend to fall short when they're tied to spend thresholds, require a login, or run alongside sitewide promos that compete for attention.

What type of promotions work best?

What type of promotions work best?

It depends on the brand. Small discounts work well for discount-light brands, while free shipping or gifts with purchase are more effective for discount-heavy brands—especially when targeted to the right customers.

Can AI balance short-term conversion with long-term customer value?

Can AI balance short-term conversion with long-term customer value?

AI can balance short-term conversions with long-term customer value by understanding where a shopper is in their journey, predicting their likelihood to purchase, and tailoring promotions accordingly.

What’s the role of AI in matching the type of incentive to each shopper?

What’s the role of AI in matching the type of incentive to each shopper?

AI predicts shopper behaviors—like likelihood to buy, price sensitivity, and product affinities—to help tailor incentives. Based on these insights, brands can choose the most effective offer to drive outcomes.

Which teams need to align to drive the AI promo transformation?

Which teams need to align to drive the AI promo transformation?

"The most success we've seen is with a cross-functional team of the ecommerce person, the merchandiser, and finance."

Will AI eventually eliminate the need for traditional promo calendars?

Will AI eventually eliminate the need for traditional promo calendars?

AI might be not ready to fully replace traditional promo calendars anytime soon—but it can enhance them by making promotions more targeted and effective.

Will Session AI technology slow down my site?

Will Session AI technology slow down my site?

Session AI technology will not slow down your site. Its tags, data collection, and decision delivery all happen asynchronously using web sockets, ensuring real-time updates without impacting page load speed.

What’s the latency for AI-driven offer delivery?

What’s the latency for AI-driven offer delivery?

“We mean real-time, real-time. It's in the hundreds of milliseconds.”

What kind of behavioral signals can clickstream data provide?

What kind of behavioral signals can clickstream data provide?

“We really look at the data that we're receiving for a couple of purposes. One is for making predictions, and then one is for taking actions based on those predictions.”

How do you reconcile the offer logic between AI and the existing promotion engines?

How do you reconcile the offer logic between AI and the existing promotion engines?

“When you combine the AI with the signals that you have about your existing customers, it becomes really powerful.”

Can Session AI send me the prediction signal and let my in-place systems manage the offers?

Can Session AI send me the prediction signal and let my in-place systems manage the offers?

Session AI can send prediction signals to your CRM, CDP, or other systems. Many companies use these signals to inform in-place systems and customer journeys—tracking changes in buying likelihood and triggering offers accordingly.

Where does Session AI sit in the tech stack?

Where does Session AI sit in the tech stack?

Session AI enhances your marketing stack with real-time prediction signals, integrating with personalization and targeting tools. It’s cloud-based and deployed via tag managers or e-commerce platform integrations—no installation required.

How can brands measure the true ROI of AI-driven promotions vs traditional discounting?

How can brands measure the true ROI of AI-driven promotions vs traditional discounting?

“With real-time promotions, it’s so much easier. We hold the testing control group… and then we know how effective that promo has been.”

How do you address concerns that selective discounts seem unfair?

How do you address concerns that selective discounts seem unfair?

Selective AI discounts can feel unfair, but brands can address this by focusing on behavior-based triggers and avoiding sensitive personal data in their models.

How is today’s behavioral AI different from earlier technologies?

How is today’s behavioral AI different from earlier technologies?

"Fast forward to today — you are now able to understand that consumer's behavior in real time, as they transact."

What’s enabling the shift to behavioral AI decisioning today?

What’s enabling the shift to behavioral AI decisioning today?

"Our infrastructures have gotten faster and cheaper, and we are now able to learn on the stream — on data that's moving rather than sitting static."