• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 7, 2019

Identity resolution has many uses, including the solving of problems caused by the limited scale of triggered email.

But companies lack the technology to handle it, and many are overconfident in their abilities, according to Failure to Resolve Identity Can Lead To Email Problems, a study by Forrester, commissioned by BounceX. 

Of the marketers polled, only 16% are very confident in the depth of their customer ID capabilities. And 19% feel very assured about their accuracy.

Granted, large percentages at least feel confident. But many face hurdles that keep them from effective customer-identity resolution.

For instance, 91% blame lack of technology for their limited confidence in the accuracy of their customer ID capabilities. 

And 83% cite the same cause for their failure o faith in their customer ID skills.

To the extent these fears are grounded in reality, the harm is apparent, for most firms feel hampered in sending transactional emails. And that’s only one problem. 

According to the study, incomplete ID resolution leads to:

• Limited scale of behavioral communication (triggered meals, SM, push, etc.) — 69%
• Inability to target mobile user/devices—59%
• Less effective marketing campaign—59%
• Waste marketing spend—59%
• Poor channel attribution-53% 
• Lower customer satisfaction—53%
• Low cross-sell/upsell offer/relevancy—52% 
• Less relevant personalization—49%

Forrester surveyed 300 B2C brands. 

Of the more confident firms that have ID resolution programs, 61% have improved the efficiency of their marketing spend and 66% are better able to attract new customers, while 58% have decreased their cost per acquisition.

Less confident firms do more poorly in these areas. 

What would take to get them up to speed? They cite improvements in:

• Enhancing support  from executive leadership—59%
• Bringing on additional suppliers or technology—57%
• Investing in integration of existing tools—52% 
• Training or hiring to add needed skills—52% 
• Improving data quality—49% 

At the same time, 71% of firms that have deployed identity-resolution programs say they have helped them attract new customers and 66% that they improved customer satisfaction.

In addition, 66% say they have improved the efficiency of their marketing spend and 66% that they have decreased their cost per acquisition.

Overall, companies are pursuing these marketing or business goals for the next year:

• Improve efficiency of marketing spend—57%
• Increase company revenues—56%
• Decrease cost per acquisition—55%
• Improve customer loyalty—52%
• Attract new customers—46% 

BounceX recommends that marketers take these steps:

• Inventory existing ID-resolution capabilities.
• Build a business case for ID resolution. 
• Gather executive sponsorship for ID resolution.