The huge cost of off-the-shelf martech systems might be driving many brand owners to build their own DIY stacks but they are paying more in the long-term as homemade platforms are far more complicated and time-consuming to use.
So says a new study by Mailjet, which quizzed 600 marketing decision-makers and found that over three-quarters (77%) of them have developed or are developing homemade tech in their role.
Among the most commonly used DIY technologies in the UK are ad tools (77%), team and project management tools (76%) and email marketing solutions (73%).
When considering whether to use a homebuilt or a third-party solution, over a quarter of UK marketers (27%) said cost was perceived to be the biggest risk to using third-party technology, closely followed by data security (21%) and reliability (10%).
However, over half (52%) of respondents working with homemade marketing tools expressed that it was more time consuming than using third-party technology they had used before – with an average of a third of marketers’ time lost to using the tech – suggesting that while it might be perceived to be cheaper, homebuilt solutions can also be a more unproductive option.
The data also points to a talent shortage to use and maintain infrastructure, as 38% of respondents admit they are still looking for the right skills within the team.
With new processes and tools being applied to the business, marketing decision-makers have to identify the gaps in knowledge and find the right talent to set themselves up for success.
The research also revealed concerns regarding data privacy and security. While 51% of marketers said data security was a barrier to using third-party solutions, it was also cited as the second biggest risk to homebuilt tools, second only to cost. Marketers are wary of outsourcing functions to avoid potential data issues; however, companies are not completely trusting of their in-built technology.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mailjet chief marketing officer Judy Boniface-Chang said that deciding whether or not to trust a homebuilt solution to manage marketing capabilities, or procure a third-party provider to reduce the workload on the team, “are key considerations”.
She added: “Maintaining an infrastructure that protects businesses’ data properly can be a full-time job. Not to mention keeping up with the ever evolving laws and practices that have to be monitored and followed diligently. Data privacy and security has to be a top priority for businesses in a post GDPR world, but also the safe storage of confidential customer information.”
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