• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, January 12, 2024

AI-driven automation is leading to cost savings for most marketing users, judging by The Enterprise Perspective on Customer Engagement & AI, a study from MessageGears done in partnership with Ascend2.  

The respondents answered like this: 

• Yes, significant cost savings — 32%
• Yes, moderate cost savings — 40% 
• No significant cost savings — 21%
• Increased costs — 3% 
• Don’t use — 4% 

Meanwhile, the companies polled feel AI will contribute to their future marketing strategies. They say it will be:

• Extremely crucial — 29% 
• Very crucial — 32%
• Moderately crucial — 27%
• Slightly crucial — 9%
• Not crucial at all — 3%  

How well are they now connecting? Of those polled, 53% are very successful, 46% are somewhat so and 1% are unsuccessful. 

Email is a solid second when it comes to engaging with customers:  

• Social media — 72% 
• Email marketing — 67% 
• Content/PR (videos, articles, etc.) — 53%
• Events — 42%
• SMS marketing — 37% 
• Influencer marketing — 35%
• Mobile app/push — 33%

Accordingly, email also ranks near the top when brands are using AI to enhance customer interactions:

Targeted advertising campaigns — 58%

Personalized email marketing — 49%

Customer support and service — 49%

Customized product recommendations — 49%

Social media engagement and chatbots — 41% 

Audience segmentation — 38%

Website and app personalization — 38% 

Most users say AI-driven marketing has resulted in cost benefits: 

• Yes, significant cost savings — 32% 
• Yes, moderate cost savings — 40%
• No, significant cost savings — 21%
• Increased costs — 3% 
• Don’t use — 4% 

Where is AI most useful? The respondents say: 

• Determining which customers are most likely to make a purchase — 53%
• Determining the channel most likely to convert your customers — 50%
• Determining prospects’ likelihood to engage with your brand — 47% 
• Determining the best day of the week to engage with customers — 43% 
• Determining the best time of day to engage with a customer — 42%
• Predicting customer spending over the next year — 41%
• Providing product recommendations — 41%
• Determining preferred contact frequency — 30% 
• Determining churn propensity — 19%

Ascend2 and MessageGears surveyed 150 marketing professionals from companies with 500 or more employees in Q4 2023.