Gartner: 63% Of Marketers Say Providing Personalized Experiences Is Difficult

In a survey of 350 executives, consulting firm Gartner found that about two-thirds (63%) of digital marketing leaders said they were frustrated with personalization.

84% of respondents said newer technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have enhanced the ability to deliver real-time, personalized experiences, but the survey found that only 17% of marketing leaders are using AI extensively or ML.

People are spending more time online, leading to a surge in data about consumer activity. However, the latest Gartner survey shows that marketers have become increasingly frustrated with personalization over the past few years.

Back in 2019, Gartner predicted that 80% of marketers would abandon personalization efforts by 2025 due to low return on investment and the difficulty of managing customer data.

The forecast reflects marketers’ frustrations with collecting data from consumers, who are increasingly distrustful of sharing personal information, closer scrutiny from regulators and restrictions by technology companies on tracking online audiences. It's difficult for people to personalize.

Gartner’s latest research finds that compared with two years ago, the share of marketers saying “delivering personalized experiences to customers” is a challenge rose from 15% in 2019 to 23% this year, an increase of 8 percentage points.

The study also found that processing and analyzing consumer data was also a major challenge. The share of respondents saying "leveraging integrated customer data to drive digital marketing execution" is a challenge climbed to 25% this year from 21% in 2019.

"A comprehensive personalization strategy and roadmap are important factors that influence the results marketers get from their personalization efforts, yet most marketing organizations lack an effective personalization strategy, let alone connect with targeted businesses and customers," said Vice President Noah Elkin. The goals are clear and the relevant strategies are clear.”

To solve the personalization conundrum, Gartner recommends that marketers develop frameworks that tie technology deployments to goals while considering cost and ROI; leverage existing tools before trying new technologies; and account for new ones through staffing and training needs. The impact of technology on organizations.