Merkle’s Customer Engagement Report is back for Q1 2022. To fuel the insights in this issue, we surveyed over 2,000 consumers, instead of marketers, to unpack the amount and extent of data consumers are willing to share. We also look at how well their attitudes align (or don’t) with the kind of connected, personalized experiences they’ve come to demand from the brands they frequent and favor.
In our exploration of government regulations and big tech policies, we define how smart value exchanges, enabled by responsible data sharing, can power more engaging and enduring relationships between brands and their customers.
Below are a few highlights from the report. Download the full report here to gain all the insights.
70% of respondents expect to receive something in exchange for giving a brand data
When asked if they expect to receive something in return for giving a brand data, 70 percent of respondents said yes. With this in mind, customer-centric brands should operate with a clear understanding that consumers will be increasingly reluctant to give up their data for free. Develop an exchange, giving them something in value for data. Get creative to think of personal offers that your customers and prospects would be excited about.
Our survey found that 86% are likely to enjoy personalized offers based on their interests and browsing or purchase history
The market today is rife with headlines about the regulation, collection, and usage of consumer data. For brands, accumulation of consumer data empowers them to better personalize the content, creative, offers, and orchestration of the myriad experiences they deliver to their customers and prospects. For consumers, this personalization drives their satisfaction and engagement with those experiences: our survey found that 86 percent are likely to enjoy personalized offers based on their interests and browsing or purchase history.
84% think that big tech benefit from data policies they put into place and promote.
As data privacy policies expand and multiply, big tech stands to make significant gains as the major owners and controllers of data – helping their walled gardens to grow even higher and pushing brands to the sidelines. Whether consumers fully grasp these implications is unknown, but they do recognize the self-interest big tech holds by implementing these data restrictions. Eighty-four percent of respondents think that big tech benefits from data policies they put into place and promote.
49% indicate sharing more information from positive brand experience if they would get offers tailored to interests
Third, these brands acknowledge that perhaps the most critical moment in that relationship occurs right at the start, when a customer is asked to share personal data. Getting that moment right opens the door to continuously enrich that relationship for the benefit of both brand and buyer: 90 percent of consumers express a willingness to share more data about themselves if they have a positive experience with a brand.
Download our 2022 Q1 Customer Engagement Report here to learn how you can build and power value exchanges to build stronger customer relationships.