Marketers have always been at the precipice of change and innovation, yet the vicissitude of the past year has tested those skills to the limit.
With bricks-and-mortar stores largely closed for business, digital natives have been joined online by swathes of digital newbies. However, these online novices demand the same level of customer service and personalisation online that they would receive in-store from a knowledgeable shop assistant — and they’re uncomfortable with cookie tracking, location snooping, or surreptitious data collection to deliver it. In fact, 27 per cent of online consumers have gone to the trouble of installing ad-blocking technology, with 22 per cent paying for premium security software.
We may all be tired of email subject lines titled “the new normal,” but like it or not, the last 12 months have changed the way we “internet” for the foreseeable. With more eyeballs than ever online, to win and maintain the custom of today’s consumers, marketers need to connect with them with the right offer, on the right channel, at the right time. And although much time is spent scrolling social media feeds, email remains the preeminent medium, in both terms of favour, engagement and, imperatively, sales — outperforming paid and social advertising by up to 92 per cent.
These may be unprecedented times, but they need not be uncertain times. That’s why Cheetah Digital commissioned this global study, to find out the trends and attitudes on personalisation, privacy, messaging, advertising, and brand loyalty.
It shares insight from over 5,000 global consumers as well as by age group and gender to help digital strategists and decision-makers understand how these issues fit together to build more meaningful and lasting relationships between brand and buyer.