Salesforce surveyed more than 4,1000 marketers worldwide about strategic priorities, challenges, and technologies in digital marketing. The » Survey highlights changes in terms of data volume, communication channels and knowledge about customers and target groups.
Overriding trend in advance: The experience consumers have with companies is as relevant to 80% as the products and services themselves. Based on this trend, the customer experience is crucial in all activities and has a significant impact on the future of digital marketing.
Trend 1: Collaboration
Interdepartmental cooperation continues to increase
Customer Experience is a team sport! only the collaboration between marketing, sales, service and other departments enables customer experiences that meet the different requirements. this can be seen, for example, in the joint processing of enquiries and complaints that customers increasingly transmit via social media. in this context, 55% of the respondents see collaboration between marketing and sales. for more knowledge about customers and their needs, about the same number of companies exchange customer data within their departments (54%). nevertheless, 45% of the respondents worldwide and 36% in germany see marketing as the main area of responsibility.
Trend 2: Second Party Data
More and more data sources require merging
what needs does my customer have? what offers can i make that fit exactly? companies are looking for answers to these questions and can find them in the existing data about their customers. but not only in their own data, but increasingly also in the so-called second party data, which comes from partner companies or various platforms. the more pieces of the puzzle come together, the more comprehensible the picture about the customer becomes. while 69% use second party data worldwide, in germany it is 58%. data management platforms are also increasingly used, according to 55% of the marketing organizations.
Trend 3: Automation
Artificial intelligence and trust are the foundation
If customers are addressed personally thanks to artificial intelligence, this has positive effects: Worldwide 29% and in Germany 39% of the marketing managers have made experiences with the use of AI. 92% of the study participants observe positive effects in brand building and 85% of the study participants see an optimization of customer loyalty. The crux of the matter is the trust of the customers with regard to data protection, which is why companies have some catching up to do in this area.
Trend 4: Relationship management
Real-time cross-channel interaction as a target
Addressing customers where they really are. A challenge, considering the constantly growing number of digital touchpoints. In order to be able to decide where and when customers are best addressed, a 360° view of the customer plays an increasingly important role. This is also how 52% of the respondents see it and rely on direct feedback from their customers. In this context, 52% of the companies enter into a real-time dialogue. However, only 28% are satisfied with these measures; the majority act rather uncertainly between the various contact options.
Would you like more information about the possibilities of data-controlled processes and a 360° view of your customers? » Learn more.
