• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 21, 2022

The personalization gap may be wider than some marketers think.

Only 18% of consumers worldwide say they have received customized recommendations, and 65% report that they have gotten “actively irrelevant” offers, according to “So, What Are Marketers Missing?”, a study by data acquisition/audience engagement platform 3radical. 

And 52% report that this has caused feelings of frustration, while 42% are less inclined to shop with brands that do not provide tailored communications (but that falls to 32% in the U.S.). Worse, 84% wish that brands should be more transparent about the data they’re collecting and how they plan to use it.  

On the positive side, 54% will share personal details in return for personalized offers, and 51% for beneficial recommendations, although U.S. shoppers are slightly less inclined to do so than consumers in the U.K. and Singapore.  

In the U.S., 45.29% are comfortable sharing their email address, phone number and address in exchange for something of value, 25.16% very much so.  Even more — 68.24% — will provide their age and gender, etc., perhaps because 69.18% have received irrelevant offers.  

How do they define “value?” Worldwide, the top three choices are discounts and coupons (61%), cash rewards (46%) and points rewards (43%). 

The preference for cash rewards fell by 12.40% YoY, while there was a 20% hike overall in the desire for more personalized promotions, with the UK showing the greatest demand for the latter. 

Drilling down, U.S. consumers expect the following in return for sharing data:

• Nothing, I do not share my information — 10.06%
• A more personalized shopping experience — 22.01%
• More personalized promotions — 25.47% 
• Updates on products purchased (Recalls, Warranties, etc.) — 22.33%
• Discounts and coupons — 59.12%
• Experience rewards (Exclusive Access, Special Events, Upgrades, etc.) — 16.04% 
• Points rewards (Redeem for Products) — 41.51%
• Cash rewards — 41.92% 

The best way to keep shoppers engaged? Provide a loyalty program, 60% say. Next are targeted promotions (46%) and milestone celebrations (43%). 

How should brands maintain loyalty now that the holiday season is well over?

Of those in the U.S., 42.77 prefer targeted promotions, and only 18.87% generic emails and newsletters. 

Indeed, the U.S. seems to have an advantage over the other countries surveyed — only 32%.

3radical surveyed more than 900 consumers, roughly 300 each in the U.S., the U.K. and Singapore, in January 2022.