Take three marketing channels: email; mobile apps; social media. The greatest of these is email, with 96 per cent usage, says The Digital Customer Engagement Index from Mapp Digital.
One of the largest independent digital marketing technology companies in the world, Mapp Digital analysed the digital marketing methods of the top 50 ecommerce brands in the UK in 2016. And despite the large uptake of email communication, the study found that relatively few companies are truly harnessing user preferences, personalisation and optimisation across devices.
The analysis revealed that only 26% personalise emails, 60% personalise the web experience, and a mere two per cent use a personal approach in their mobile apps – despite most brands asking for customer names and other identifiable information.
Rolf Anweiler (pictured), senior vice-president marketing, Mapp, said: “All data no action summarises the broad approach we’re seeing from the UK’s top ecommerce brands.”
He continued: “But broad is no good when it comes to marketing in a digital revolution, when customers’ relationships with brands are changing to an ‘always on’ culture and you explicitly ask for information about them.
“Many brands are still more 9 to 5 than 24/7 when it comes to marketing. With the proliferation of channels, devices and technologies comes a great opportunity for marketers. At the moment, though, most are being bland, formulaic and not quite delivering.”
Index shows take-up of marketing channels
In mobile app marketing, where 92% of brands have a mobile app, most seek permission to send notifications. Despite this, only 17% actually delivered a message across the duration of Mapp’s study – which ran for a month in spring 2016.
The study also looks at how brands are orchestrating cross-channel engagement, noting that only 25% of the top brands with bricks-and-mortar stores are using technology to drive engagement when potential customers might be passing by. This indicates that most are wasting a huge opportunity to grow the mobile channel and engage with customers, especially mobile-savvy millennials.
Key findings:
- 94% of those analysed sent at least one email to their customer base during the study
- 78% of emails assessed during the study were not fully responsive, meaning that the mobile email experience for most customers is very limited
- Only 13% of brands assessed had a preference centre on their website, inhibiting personalisation of messages and content
- Only 11% of brands with mobile apps connected the dots between digital channels (for example, by enabling social sign in)
- When it comes to posting seasonal content on social media channels 45% of brands chose Facebook, 52% turned to a Twitter feed and only 20% utilised their Instagram account
Anweiler added: “In an era when brands are pushing for more personalised, individualised marketing, some of the largest ecommerce brands in the UK are still failing to create meaningful engagements due to inconsistent use of digital channels.
“Never has having a consistent strategy been more important, nor has combining the data from the multitude of digital channels to create a holistic view of the customer. It is – or should be – simple to deliver highly bespoke messages. Marketers today have all the tools to achieve this.”
