Brands rely on full data control for personalized customer experiences

Around 13,000 marketing, creative and IT experts from around the world were surveyed as part of this study. The global survey participants expect a much stronger focus on data management in order to reduce their dependence on so-called "walled gardens" - external advertising platforms that require brands to relinquish control over their data - and to better protect consumer privacy.

Brands want to further reduce their dependence on walled gardens in order to gain full access to all their customer data and ensure the greatest possible data transparency. The aim is to achieve more effective segmentation and targeting in order to provide their customers with an even more personalized and consistent customer experience across channels.

44% of the advertising agencies surveyed emphasize that their clients' main headache is their dependence on the data silos of walled gardens. More than one in four marketing specialists (28%), on the other hand, see the greatest challenge in personalizing customer experiences without violating consumers' privacy.

Companies around the world are open to data protection laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 89 percent even believe that the regulation has had a positive impact on their business. In Europe, however, brands are more concerned about consumer privacy than elsewhere. Almost a quarter (24%) of European companies therefore state that data protection laws such as the GDPR have had a negative impact on their business. This proportion is three times higher than in any other region surveyed.

Brands are pushing to gain more control over their data and become leaders in customer experience (CX) in 2019. Almost two-thirds (63%) of IT professionals have set themselves the top goal of improving their data collection capabilities and centralizing all collected information on a single platform. For their part, more than half of marketing decision-makers are committed to making better use of data in order to achieve more effective segmentation and targeting.

"This year's Digital Trends clearly show that companies are aware of the great importance of data control. The GDPR is more of an opportunity than an obstacle. Companies that invest in relevant and transparent customer relationships will retain their customers more than ever before. Artificial intelligence will become a decisive competitive factor here, as will the establishment of in-house data management and independent data value creation," says Christoph Kull, Vice President & Managing Director Central Europe at Adobe.

Brands are planning further investments in 2019 to get a better grip on their data and optimize their customer experience. 42% of marketers want to improve their approach to a more holistic view of the customer. The same proportion also intend to link their systems and data for more efficient workflows.

To further drive their focus on data management, half of brands plan to increase spending on CX technologies in 2019. Artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time experiences are particularly popular for improving the personalization of customer experiences. More than a third (36%) of brands are already using AI to provide their customers with inspiring experiences - an increase of around 50% compared to the previous year.

Ashley Friedlein, founder of Econsultancy, adds: "Customer experience is now as much a mindset and corporate philosophy as it is a discipline. No wonder customer experience plays such a big role in marketing. A clear customer focus is not only the most important differentiator of a brand, but also a decisive factor for business success. This year's study shows once again what a crucial role the development of a sophisticated CX strategy can play: The brands most advanced in CX strategy exceeded their business goals almost three times more often in 2018 than before."