For all the benefits promised with the advancements being made in data analytics, none is more enticing to me than personalization. I'm not talking about a system that knows me so well it can predict what I'm going to buy next, but simply one that takes my purchasing history and personal preferences into account to provide me with recommendations and offers that don't cause me to grimace or giggle.
I happily provide personal information with the hope, for example, that nearly five years after making my last purchase of disposable diapers, retailers will stop e-mailing me discount offers on Pampers and Hugs and perhaps tell me about a new coffee from Peet's or, better yet, offer me a deal on the French Roast that I consume in mass quantities.
According to a study last December by The Relevancy Group, via eMarketer, segmentation and targeting top the e-mail marketing priority lists of marketers in 2015. That is hopeful news, because according to the same research, e-mail offers are a long way from being personalized.
Only 27 percent use transaction data and purchasing behavior in their e-mail marketing campaigns, say study results, even though this information is generally seen as the surest path to a return on investment.
In fact, there are only two metrics that rise above the one-third level. Demographic data is used by 41 percent and geographic data by 39 percent.
Part of the issue is that most retailers are a ways off from the omnichannel nirvana they and tech providers love to talk about. According to The Relevancy Group, just 28 percent use data from across selling channels to create a single view of their customers.