New research has revealed that a whopping 98% of UK consumers think that brands are getting personalisation wrong. The survey by Sitecore and Vanson Bourne has found that the majority of consumers regularly encounter ‘bad personalisation’, where brands fail to deliver a relevant and personalised customer experience.
What is bad personalisation?
In an attempt to tailor digital and email marketing content to the individual user, brands may be missing the mark. If content is personalised based on the wrong information, it immediately becomes irrelevant to the consumer. Around 54% of brands, according to the research, are making assumptions about customers based solely on a single interaction or purchase, or due to bad or inaccurate data. Instead of increasing engagement and conversions with personalisation, businesses could be achieving the opposite – actively putting customers off.
Researchers also flagged up a problem with the frequency of online marketing messages, with 54% of customers saying that brands send too many.
What are the data challenges in marketing personalisation?
The primary data challenges in marketing personalisation include brands using out-of-date information, lacking the capability to integrate collected data, and struggling with effective data analysis. A Sitecore study revealed that over 65% of consumers believe brands use outdated information, 42% of brands cannot integrate data, and only 31% have the in-house skills to analyze it effectively. Furthermore, 15% lack data storage capacity, and many brands fail to collect data on an individual level, leading to ineffective personalization campaigns. This struggle to collect, connect, analyze, and act on customer data is a significant barrier to delivering relevant and personalized customer experiences.
There is also a problem with data analysis. Having collected pages of stats about a customer, what does your company do with all of this information? How do you pick out the relevant stats and use them to target campaigns? Sitecore and Vanson Bourne found that only 31% have the in-house skills needed to analyse data and use it to effectively personalise campaigns. 15% of the brand surveyed do not even have the capacity to store data in the first place. Other highlights of the research included:
- 63% of consumers thought brands knew more about them and their purchase history than they do – just 40% of brands admitted collecting this information
- 54% of brand respondents said that what they most wanted in a customer intelligence solution was to view customers on an individual level and to gain real-time insights into their behaviour. A further 48% said they wanted automated responses based on consumer actions.
Commenting on the findings of the research, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Sitecore Scott Anderson said:
“Customers are openly providing insight for brands to understand their wants and needs, but brands are struggling to follow through on their end of the deal,”
“The level of expectation that today’s consumer has, coupled with the level of dissatisfaction brand marketers have with the tools and resources available to them, suggests brands must take urgent action to improve their ability to collect, connect, analyse, and act on customer data.”
Need help with collecting consumer data and applying it to your digital marketing strategy, or with personalising your campaigns for maximum engagement? Get in touch with the specialists here at Ambos Digital for expert advice and support.
