Improving technology use is Irish marketers’ foremost priority, a Salesforce report titled ‘State of Marketing’ indicates. Deeper relationships emerge with account-based marketing (ABM) and loyalty programmes. Companies are increasingly turning to strategies like ABM and loyalty programmes for improved acquisition and retention. Yet many of these programmes’ information sources remain disjointed, as does the customer experience.
The study shares insights from over 4,800 marketers across 29 countries, including 100 from Ireland.
Seven in ten Irish marketers in Ireland say loyalty data is fully integrated across all touchpoints. Some 45 per cent of marketers in Ireland say loyalty program functionalities are accessible across all touchpoints. Almost 60 per cent of Irish B2B marketers use ABM for customer acquisition with a similar number using it for upselling – however, just 38 per cent for cross selling.
Personalise
The report covers current trends on how marketers are evaluating and implementing AI into their operations; approaching data acquisition, maintenance, and application strategies; and ensuring customer trust and security as vulnerabilities increase. They look to AI — both generative and predictive — to help personalise at scale and boost efficiency. They want to apply AI in their operations with the right data, but have concerns about security.
Three in four Irish marketers have tried out or implemented AI in their workplaces.
AI also figures strongly in a Red C survey for KPMG where it was revealed that Irish shoppers are uncertain about the role AI has to play and what it can offer for their retail experience, with only 18 per cent saying AI will improve their in-store experience. There are cost and quality decisions retailers should heed, along with a need to contend with the volume and pace of emerging AI tech and how it will enhance efficiencies and consumer offerings.
Over two-fifths (44 per cent) feel they will have to trust how retailers are using AI to make their shopping choices in the future, and only one-third (32 per cent) think AI will transform how consumers purchase products and services. Just over a quarter (27 per cent) say AI will improve the online shopping experience for shoppers. Competitiveness and customer service remain top of mind for shoppers as they avoid brands that engage in ‘shrinkflation’.
Sustainability
Keith Watt (above), head of retail at KPMG, said 67 per cent expect brand owners to make sustainable and circular products more accessible and affordable for consumers and offer incentives or discounts to customers for choosing eco-friendly/circular economy products. Six in 10 believe brands should provide more details about their sustainability efforts, go beyond being sustainable, and be responsible for reversing environmental damage.
More than half (55 per cent) feel brands have a more active role to play in educating consumers on the environmental impact of their purchasing choices, and 37 per cent prefer to shop for brands who have adopted the three R’s of sustainability – repair, reuse, and repurpose. Meanwhile, three in 10 are willing to pay a higher price for more sustainably produced goods, and only one in four shop for brands involved in the Deposit Return Scheme.
The KPMG consumer retail attitudes survey was conducted by Red C in April.
