• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, May 7, 2019

All brands want to understand their customers to create strong emails and a better experience in general. But many firms are only part of the way there, according to Data Maturity Survey Highlights, a study by Cognetik.

Of over 160 attendees surveyed at this year’s Adobe Summit, 78% say their firms have a good understanding of their customers. But 44% say they are not yet acting on the information. Another 10% say they have little or no grasp, and 11% have a limited one.

On the upside, 34% are on firm footing and are using what they know to improve the customer experience.

At the same time, 39% claim they have the architecture and infrastructure to support their data needs, but are not using them to their fullest potential. This could hamper the sending of both promotional and transactional emails.

Granted, this study is only a snapshot. The sample may not be typical of the broader universe, although the respondents' presence at the Summit seems to indicate that they want to improve their performance. 

Cognetik classifies companies according to four rungs of data maturity. Over half of the surveyed companies are in the top two tiers.

• Ad-hoc: Data is evaluated when needed, and few decisions are data-driven — 18% 
• Periodic: Data is reviewed quarterly, monthly or daily, but not for future-looking analysis — 29%
• Ingrained: Most decisions are data-driven, and products and services are constantly measured — 20%
• Strategic: Data is viewed as a core asset and is key to making strategic business decisions — 32%

Only one problem: Of the group claiming to be strategic, “few had answers to the remaining question that validated that position,” the study notes. For instance, only a quarter of them have advanced technologies in place to support their entire data and analytics life cycles.

But they seem to trust their own data — up to a point. On a scale of 1 to 10, over three-fourths fall into the 5-8 range, with 11% veering toward always trusting their information. And the scores are similar in use of data by the leadership to make strategic decisions. Few are in the “never” zone.

And while only 10% say they always have data and insights when they need them, the biggest percentage — 27% — have it sometimes.

Cognetik concludes that the results “highlight a disconnect between the business and IT.” This split often indicates that “business goals have not been adequately mapped to data initiatives and digital touchpoints.” The solution? Map them and benefit more from your analytics investment.