Targeting troubles: 50% of UK consumers say the marketing they receive is ‘irrelevant’

London, UK, 25 September 2024 — Online retailers need to reassess the way they target shoppers with half (50%) of UK consumers saying the digital content they receive from retailers is “irrelevant.” That is according to new research from Optimizely, the leading digital experience platform (DXP), released ahead of this year’s Opticon in London.  

Calling on insights from 100 marketers and 1,000 consumers in the UK, the research found there is a growing disconnect between customer expectations and the digital experiences they receive from retailers. In 2023, 48% of consumers felt that the content they received was targeted to their interests, now in 2024, that figured has dropped to just 42%.

This belief that campaigns are not effectively targeted and personalized is also being felt across different channels. Only 54% of consumers believe that email marketing campaigns are effectively tailored to them, down from 63% in 2023. Similarly, only 59% of consumers feel website content is tailored to them, down from 71% in 2023. Just 55% believe social media content is personalized for them compared to 69% last year.

To address this, Optimizely’s report argues that brands need to focus on experimenting with new approaches to personalization. According to the data, 75% of UK marketers believe experimentation is essential for creating truly personalized content. Two in five marketers (40%) are also turning to artificial intelligence to help them create more targeted and personaliszed content and campaigns.

Optimizely’s findings underscore the need for brands to refine their personalization practices and invest in experimentation. By doing so, marketers can discover new ways to enhance targeting and maximize relevance in their digital communications. 

“Personalization is an incredibly powerful tool for retailers, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach,” said Shafqat Islam, President at Optimizely. “While most brands are already using some degree of personalization technology, they simply aren’t evolving at the same pace that customer expectations are. Marketers must focus on optimizing their personalization practices by investing in experimentation in order to find new ways to improve targeting and maximize relevance.”

Optimizely provides powerful testing, AI-rich optimization and customer data capabilities to help marketers create and deliver 1:1 experiences that drive revenue and brand loyalty. To learn more about the upcoming Opticon London event visit optimizely.com/opticon 

The London event will come to life thanks in part to Diamond sponsor UNRVLD and Gold sponsors Columbus, Netcel and 26 DX.