The biggest challenge facing brand marketers is their inability to reach “potential” customers, according to a recent survey by SAP Mobile Services. The survey, conducted at the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Forum New York held recently, found that 55 per cent of marketers surveyed felt that, while they had insights on their existing customer base, to grow their businesses they would need greater access to insights on potential customers. More survey respondents also reported using mobile (86 per cent) and online (73 per cent) channels for sales, while just 41 per cent said they depended on physical storefronts and 22 per cent reported using catalogs.
The majority (57 per cent) of respondents indicated the quality of their current data collection and analytics capabilities was average or below average. In terms of data collection tactics, nearly three in four (73 per cent) respondents reported using surveys and polls to obtain consumer insight and behavioural information. Also popular were post-purchase questionnaires, used by 47 per cent of those surveyed.
Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of marketers said they found it challenging to find out what appeals to customers within their stores. When asked to rank what information would be valuable to their brands’ marketing or advertising campaign strategies, respondents ranked the demographics of customers visiting retail locations as most valuable followed by information on what types of mobile devices customers own, such as tablets, smartphones or feature phones.
Marketing respondents also reported that knowledge of the mobile sites their customers visited would be useful to shaping their marketing campaigns.
