Cross channel marketing is great! But hard to implement…

November 20, 2014 Dominic Lill

Research from Experian Marketing Services and Forrester Consulting has today identified that while marketers are aware of the power of cross channel marketing in reaching customers, many are not yet taking full advantage of the technique.

The research, a global study of 428 digital marketing businesses in the UK, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America, finds varying levels of technology adoption and cross channel marketing success across markets, with technology issues still a major hurdle in implementation.

Simon Martin, managing director of digital at Experian Marketing Services, said: “This report makes it clear that marketers understand the importance of cross channel marketing in taking customer relationships up a level, but still need guidance to make it work. Customers only want to hear from you at a time that is convenient to them, and when they need something. Data linkage across channels allows marketers to better assess when this time might be, which allows them to deliver the right message to the right customer, at the right time.”

Findings from the research include:

Email is still a stalwart: 97% of respondents use email today. Email maturity has not discouraged investment, either, as it is still growing at 8% compound annual growth rate.
Marketers struggle to integrate channels, with even a mature channel such as email only being integrated with search retargeting by 54% of respondents.
Few marketers harness the potential of customer data: only 24% are able to merge contextual data into a single, shared and real time cross channel view of the customer.
Marketers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia are behind their counterparts in using targeted display, with 80% agreeing that they make use of the technology compared to a global average of 97%.

Martin continued: “Marketers must realise that the consumer cycle has changed with the advent of new shopping channels as well as expectations of excellent personalisation and service in interactions with brands. The sales funnel does not exist as it did before – marketers need to consider relationships in terms of customer need, not marketing action. The reward is increased loyalty, spend and a better relationship with the customer full stop.”