The burgeoning number of channels which consumers use to interact with brands is proving a major headache for marketers in the post-Covid world, with over four in five (83%) believing it is much harder to unify consumers’ data when so many have multiple identities across platforms.
So says a new study by Upland BlueVenn, conducted with 250 marketers and 2,000 consumers in the UK, which reveals that Brits now using more than 20 channels to interact with brands across online and physical touchpoints.
However, nearly two-thirds (64%) of marketers believe their team lacks the knowledge or skills to effectively analyse and segment customer data.
The impact of this is confirmed by consumers themselves, with just over a third (35%) believing brands they interact with understand their shopping needs – despite nearly four in five (79%) of marketers claiming to have unified customer profiles.
The study maintains this begs the question of whether marketers can identify their customers and track brand journeys as effectively as they think.
With two in five (39%) UK marketers claiming they can deliver a consistent, personalised message on three or more channels, but only 12% of customers agreeing that brands provide them with a consistent experience, on all channels, it is clear there is a discord between the two.
Upland BlueVenn general manager Steve Klin commented: “It’s common knowledge that ecommerce has dramatically increased since the pandemic due to global lockdowns, but now that lockdown regulations are easing, shoppers will be eager to purchase in-store again, while others will continue to transact online.
“Our research has found that many UK brands are simply not prepared to keep track of the many digital interaction points and are potentially not focused on the channels that they need to be. Consumer expectations are at an all-time high and many are looking for a more personalised experience while engaging with brands in more places than ever before, which makes the life of the multi-channel marketer very challenging.”
Understandably, the preference of either online or in-store consumer interaction varies depending on the product or service. When shopping for clothing, homeware, and exercise equipment, half (48%) of UK consumers prefer to do so on a laptop/desktop web browser, similarly two-fifths (41%) prefer to use this channel when shopping for financial services. However, when in the market for a new car, the majority (36%) would prefer to shop in branch.
The research indicates this focus on laptop/desktop web browsing could easily switch to mobile handsets, with 40% of consumers stating that they have increased the amount they have used their phone over the last year.
Furthermore, a third (34%) of consumers stated that a better user experience on a mobile app would encourage them to use it over a web browser, proving that the mobile customer experience is something businesses should be focused upon.
Despite the influx of data now available to brands due to the multiple channels that exist, consumers remain hesitant in sharing their personal information.
There are concerns from consumers when shopping online (75%) and in-store (56%) over their data security, which is indicated as one of the main reasons why a consumer may not purchase a product or service. It should be seen as a priority for marketers to do what they can to allay consumer fears about how their data will be held and used in a transparent way.
Encouragingly for brands, over a third (37%) of UK shoppers would prefer to share their data directly with a brand they trust rather than with a tech giant, however, 36% said they would prefer not to have to share their personal data with brands or tech giants.
With a demand for personalised marketing and a good customer experience, understanding what resonates with the customer is important in order to get it right, the study shows.
Seven in ten UK consumers (69%) find it frustrating being contacted regularly by brands and 80% find pop-up notifications on their phone or laptop frustrating.
With so many channels and opportunities for businesses to engage with a customer, brands need to be mindful of how frequently customers are being contacted and ensure that annoying CX niggles are removed, and message fatigue is monitored.
With three in four consumers saying a poor user experience will stop them buying, both online and in-store (76% and 74% respectively), marketers need to gain a better understanding of the evolving customer journey or risk losing customers altogether.
Encouragingly, almost half (48%) of marketers collect information regarding how frequently their customers want to be contacted, however, a substantial 43% collect this insight but do not act upon it.
Similarly, 44% of marketers are collecting data on their customers’ likes and dislikes, but a disappointingly higher percentage of marketers (46%) are obtaining this information but not using it, and a further 10% don’t collect it at all.
Klin continued: “In order for brands to provide customers with the most personalised experience, they really need to move beyond just collecting this data, but also start to put it to use. There is no worth in asking a customer what they like and dislike if you don’t have the skills or marketing platforms to be able to activate this information.
“Customer data platforms are becoming essential to make this customer data actionable across all channels, and with consumers moving between digital and offline channels more frequently, it’s essential that businesses empower their marketing teams with the ability to activate their customer data more effectively.”
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