8 out of 10 people believe organisations take customers for granted

A customer buying fruit.

Most people feel that organisations have become impersonal and lost their ‘human’ touch, instead prioritising cost-cutting and functionality.

This is according to a new national survey by customer-led growth company The Foundation.

The survey coincides with the publication of 'The Human Experience: How to make life better for your customers and create a more successful organisation', which offers solutions to the issues highlighted in the survey.

Conducted...

22 February 2023 | Best Practice

60% of SMB’s 2023 marketing budgets to be slashed or remain static

A pile of £20 notes.

New data from unified customer platform Klaviyo has revealed that UK SMBs will be focusing on acquisition, despite cuts to budgets.

67% of UK SMB’s main priority will be to acquire new customers in 2023*, despite the cost of acquiring being up to five times more expensive than retaining existing customers. 

However, with almost 60% of respondents reporting their marketing budgets will remain static or be slashed or marketing budgets being cut or remaining static...

3 January 2023 | Advertising

1 in 4 consumers switching to more sustainable companies

A box of water.

British food and grocery brands are on notice - ignore the push to be more sustainable at your own peril.

According to the 2022 UK Brand Sustainability Benchmark Report one in four consumers have already changed brands based on sustainability perceptions and consumers are switching to brands with the strongest sustainability credentials at twice the rate of the average brand.

The report is the first in-depth look into the UK Food and Grocery Industry’s sustainability...

8 December 2022 | Best Practice

87% of marketers say their work provides greater value now than a year ago

A stack of coins.

Salesforce has released the eighth edition of the State of Marketing report. Drawing from a survey of 6,000 marketers across 35 countries and an analysis of trillions of outbound marketing messages sent using the Salesforce platform, the report explores how marketers are:

working to meet customers’ digital-first expectations doing more with less in the face of macroeconomic uncertainty adapting to new privacy regulations while still delivering exceptional customer...

7 November 2022 | Best Practice

B2B marketing leaders optimistic about marketing strategies despite economic uncertainty

Despite around half of B2B marketing leaders globally saying their budgets have been impacted in some way due to current economic conditions, the majority (76%) remain optimistic about their marketing strategy over the next six months.

This is according to a new study from LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network and leading B2B advertising platform.

The global B2B Marketer Sentiment study, which surveyed 1,700+ B2B marketing leaders from across the world,...

21 October 2022 | Best Practice

Marketers predict wide-spread metaverse adoption

A cartoon of a women enjoying the metaverse.

Marketers are gearing up to take full advantage of the metaverse, according to Sitecore’s 2022 Perceptions of the Metaverse report.

However, despite bullish intentions to invest heavily, there is clear acknowledgment that consumer education is needed and 78% of marketers plan to work harder to educate consumers on the benefits of the metaverse. The survey asked almost 700 global marketers (including over 300 based in the UK) and 2,001 consumers about their perception of the...

20 October 2022 | Best Practice

25% of UK’s leading brands charge consumers for returning online purchases

A woman with a latptop and bank card.

A quarter (25%) of the UK’s leading brands such as Zara and Boohoo are now charging shoppers to return purchases they have made online; a year-on-year increase of 14%.

The State of Operations Experience Management Study Series 2022, conducted by parcelLab, the Operations Experience Management platform, found that of those consumers being charged for making a return, the average cost is £3.53 and it takes an average of nine days for refunds to be processed. To undertake this...

18 October 2022 | Best Practice

42% of customer queries to leading UK retailers go unanswered

A telephone off the hook.

More than two fifths (42%) of enquiries are being ignored or left unanswered, with just 13% answered in full and in a timely way.

This is according to a new report that has revealed significant failings when it comes to customer service performance across the UK’s leading retail brands.

The Convers-AI-tional Nation Report, conducted by customer engagement platform CM.com, analysed the performance of the UK’s top 25 retail brands, according to annual turnover...

3 October 2022 | Best Practice

Respecting data dignity: why CMOs should care about how they use data

data

‘Data Dignity’ might sound like yet another buzz-phrase, but the simple reality is that it represents a tidal wave of digital change that will fundamentally alter the way that enterprises can operate from a data perspective.

This should not just be on the radar of all CMOs, but the trigger for a sea change in attitudes towards data, as well as a reassessment of the opportunities it brings. 

The initial stage is set, with consumer awareness of privacy at an all time...

23 September 2022 | Best Practice

Marketers engaging better with disabled consumers but barriers remain

A barrier blocking a road.

83% of businesses are doing more to provide accessibility in digital marketing than in the past, demographics such as age, gender and race are more often prioritized in marketing efforts.

This is according to the 2022 Accessible Marketing Survey conducted by Capterra, an online marketplace vendor serving as an intermediary between buyers and technology vendors within the software industry.

One in four American adults live with a physical or mental disability, yet they...

1 September 2022 | Advertising Technology