Jay Henderson IBM Strategy Program Director Cross Channel MarketingThe second part of this post is a guest post from IBM.

IBM's Jay Henderson will be a guest on our #GetRealChat tonight at 9pm et. Jay is the Strategy Program Director, Cross Channel Marketing for IBM. He leads product strategy within IBM's Enterprise Marketing Management group. His team is responsible for market analysis, customer insight, and industry marketing functions. Jay has more than 15 years experience in multi-channel marketing and customer analytics.

We are thrilled to have him share his knowledge and insights as a guest on #GetRealChat.

The IBM Online Retail Economic Indicator:

When it comes to shopping, consumers are increasingly empowered in the digital age. With increasing online shopping, channels multiplying and consumer habits evolving daily, getting an accurate reading in such a fast-moving environment becomes a major challenge for retailers, especially chief marketing officers, and leaders of the sales, customer service and supply chain functions.

In an effort to provide this valuable insight, IBM is introducing the online retail economic indicator, which tracks online retail sales and social sentiment of the US consumer to provide a complete view of the digital retail marketplace.

Issued quarterly, the retail economic indicator is designed to serve as the online companion to the government’s Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services report. IBM’s findings will be available on Wednesday, May 2.

Join the conversation as IBM’s Jay Henderson takes reporter questions during a media specific Q&A session on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 3-4 p.m. ET. Register here to participate in the chat.

Chat with Jay who will serve as the #GetRealChat special guest on Tuesday, May 1 2012, 9 p.m. ET to discuss retail trends CMOs need to know and how these findings impact marketers and retailers alike. Jay will also discuss marketing analytics and social sentiment. Follow Jay on twitter at twitter.com/Jay_Henderson and track the #GetRealChat hashtag to participate in the conversation.

New to Tweet Chats?

Are you new to tweet chats? No worries! Check out this video for tips on how to get started! This blog post “Tweet Chats 101: 41 Success Tips for Moderators, Participants & Guests” is also loaded with tips for participants, guests & moderators. Hope to tweet you there tonight and every Tuesday night at 9pm et!