Personalisation may be seen as the holy grail for marketers, but simply sending customers birthday greetings or addressing them by their first name is not enough, only personalised offers cut the mustard these days.
That is according to a new study by marketing automation suite Pure360, which claims that only 7% of UK consumers are interested in messages that relate to their personal details.
Furthermore just 8% said that they are likely to engage with online retailers that address them by their first name in their brand marketing.
The study, conducted by YouGov to poll a representative sample of British consumers, highlighted instead the value of tailored promotions as the most important aspect of marketing messages – with almost half of UK consumers (45%) prepared to engage with a retail brand that uses personalised offers in their digital marketing.
Millennial consumers (18-24) were found to be the most enthusiastic demographic about personalised offers, with 54% reporting that they would engage with brands that contacted them about deals.
Meanwhile, Wales was found to be the UK region with the keenest eye for such opportunities, with over half (51%) of Welsh consumers reporting that a personalised offer from an online retailer would engage them. By contrast, just 43% of consumers in Scotland said they would do the same, with the figure rising to 45% among consumers in England.
Pure360 marketing director Komal Helyer said: “Our research indicates that there is a considerable degree of scepticism among consumers regarding the marketing and advertising communications methods of online businesses and retailers.
“While there is a case for personalised communications, when they represent value and opportunity for the consumer, our findings show that it is essential for businesses to know their audience and understanding the kind of personalised messaging that will lead to positive brand engagement. Personalisation as it was known may be dead, but relevant personalised communication lives on.”
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