Personalize or Else: Customers Demand Convenience, Recognition
Acquia’s second-annual report still shows 90 percent of brands are failing to meet CX expectations
NEW ORLEANS — November 12, 2019 — Consumers continue to overwhelmingly agree that brands are failing to deliver a good customer experience. The good news is, customers are very clear that personalization is the key to good CX, with four of five consumers saying brands that know their customers best will earn their loyalty.
According to the results of the second-annual global survey by Acquia, 90% of consumers said brands were missing the mark. Additionally, 94% of marketers are in agreement with customers that brands aren’t meeting experience expectations—this should sound an alarm that action is needed.
In many companies, a lack of personalization is preventing brands from delivering excellent customer experiences. But with abundant choices, consumer expectations are higher than ever. Not only must customer experiences be extremely convenient, but they must also prove that the brand recognizes them as an individual—and they support technology that promises to improve that experience. If brands disappoint them or exploit their personal data and they’ll go elsewhere. To compete, marketers must ensure they’re consistently delivering satisfying customer experiences.
The findings of Acquia’s global survey on the state of the CX— revealed today in New Orleans during the opening keynote sessions at Acquia Engage, the company’s annual user conference—also highlight the continuing delta between money spent on marketing technology and revenue lost to failed customer conversions and retention. More than 6,000 consumers and 600 marketers across Australia, Europe and North America provided input for the annual report, “Deliver the CX They Expect: Customer Experience Trends.”
The report examines CX from the perspective of both consumers and marketers. Key findings uncovered in the report include:
Don't over-complicate CX: Crafting and delivering a positive customer experience may feel overwhelming. But with 90% of consumers surveyed saying a convenient experience is important, and 68% saying that brands need to reduce friction and make their experience easier, which brands can do by focusing on meeting customers’ most basic expectation—convenience—and build from there.
Personalization is imperative: Personalization isn't optional. More than half (60%) of consumers surveyed said that brands who should know them, don’t. Because it is the key to meeting customer convenience expectations and unlocking customer loyalty, personalization must remain a priority.
"Open" technology is key: To manage the data required for personalization and maintain simple, seamless cross-channel personalized experiences, marketers need open, adaptable marketing and CX technology. And consumers are on board, with 82% saying technology should make their online experiences with brands better. However, finding the right technology that delivers this is a challenge for marketers.
"Customers have made their demands clear, and now is the time for marketing organizations to respond to those challenges,” said Lynne Capozzi, Acquia CMO. "Brands must focus on innovating where it drives the most value and being able to show wins along the way—and the data shows that the only way to meet those customer expectations is by developing a personalization practice. Smart marketers see the trends and are planning and executing an open approach that offers personalization while addressing data privacy concerns to drive customer loyalty.”
An ebook highlighting the findings and providing analysis is available for download at: “Deliver the CX They Expect: Customer Experience Trends” report.
About the Survey
“Deliver the CX They Expect: Customer Experience Trends” report was commissioned by Acquia and conducted by Regina Corso Consulting between July 15 and 26, 2019. Respondents to the online survey were 6,013 consumers – 1,000 from Australia, 1,002 from France, 1,001 from Germany, 1,006 from Mexico, 1,001 from the United Kingdom and 1,003 from the United States) and 600 marketers (100 from Australia, 100 from France, 100 from Germany, 100 from Mexico, 100 from the UK and 100 from the U.S.). The consumers were all 18 and older and the sample is balanced by age and gender for each country. The marketers were director-level and above from companies with annual revenue of US$10 million or more.
About Acquia
Acquia is the open digital experience company. We provide the world’s most ambitious brands with technology that allows them to embrace innovation and create customer moments that matter. At Acquia, we believe in the power of community - giving our customers the freedom to build tomorrow on their terms. To learn more, visit acquia.com.
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