The Harris Poll survey also revealed a gap in expectations. The majority of consumers (73%) felt that brands struggled with rising expectations for a personalized experience, compared with 43% of marketers that admitted to struggling in this area. Consumer frustration stemmed from brands’ sometimes subpar execution in omnichannel marketing, including receiving an offer for something they already bought (37%) and not being recognized as an existing customer (33%).
However, only 37% of consumers surveyed said that they would stop doing business with a brand for these reasons, indicating a window of opportunity for brands to improve their execution and narrow the expectations gap.
“Even in the era of privacy, consumers are clamoring for better use of their personal data to drive relevant and consistent omnichannel shopping experiences,” said Andrew Lipsman, principal analyst at eMarketer. “Because brands and retailers have built trust with consumers—after all, you’re logging in to the site and willing to fork over your credit card information—you want that trust reciprocated by delivering an experience that respects the user’s time, attention and money.”