Almost two-thirds (64%) of UK consumers believe personalised recommendations are important, with nearly a third (30%) considering them one of the top ways brands can enhance their overall digital experience.
However, greater personalisation should not compromise privacy and data governance, as 92% of respondents emphasise the need for brands to use their data responsibly. This information comes from Adobe’s Digital Trends Report, which surveyed over 1,000 UK consumers on their preferences for brand engagement online.
More than half (57%) of consumers are comfortable with brands using their age and gender for personalisation. However, they are less comfortable with personalisation based on ethnicity (28%), web browsing history (25%), social media activity (21%), and income (15%).
Marketers also desire increased personalisation in their campaigns, with generative AI expected to play a crucial role. Over a third (38%) of marketers have begun using generative AI solutions, and a quarter (25%) utilise AI to craft emails, messages, and other content. Despite this, 56% of UK marketing respondents are cautious, ensuring the quality of AI-generated content to maintain customer trust.
Christophe Marée, EMEA marketing director at Adobe, said, “Generative AI has the potential to revolutionise brand engagement. It allows for high-level personalisation at scale, but marketers must stay within their audience’s comfort zone. It’s essential to use AI responsibly, training it on authentic and certified content while maintaining transparency and data governance.”
Key findings from the survey include:
a. Consumers expect more personalisation from banks than from healthcare providers or grocery retailers.
b. Personalisation should go beyond knowing the customer’s name, taking into account their relationship with the brand and past interactions. 31% of UK consumers want relevant offers, ranking it above the courtesy of using their name (23%).
c. Different industries have varying expectations for personalisation. 28% of UK consumers expect their bank to address them by name in digital communications, compared to 25% for healthcare providers and 12% for grocery retailers.
d. Consumers are open to AI making recommendations and speeding up shopping but want to know whether they are interacting with a bot or a human. 84% are happy for AI to make suggestions, and 81% for recommendations, but 83% find it important to know if they are communicating with a bot.
e. 67% seek a more interactive online shopping experience, and 76% expect a seamless experience across all customer channels.
f. Consumers desire a smooth transition between self-service and human or AI-assisted channels, with 40% saying a seamless handover from self-serve to a human agent would improve their digital experience, and 37% wanting better self-serve options.
Marketers are already leveraging generative AI to accelerate content production and targeting. More than a third (38%) are implementing initial Gen AI solutions, and 25% use Gen AI for crafting emails, messages, and other content. 21% use Gen AI to personalise images, infographics, or video content.
Author
Gill Laing is a qualified Legal Researcher & Analyst with niche specialisms in Law, Tax, Human Resources, Immigration & Employment Law.
Gill is a Multiple Business Owner and the Managing Director of Prof Services Limited - a Marketing & Content Agency for the Professional Services Sector.
