The inhousing movement is forcing marketers to spend more time preparing and segmenting data than anything else, but most are no closer to discovering how their customers tick.
That is according to a new “Retail Roadblocks” report from Emarsys, which quizzed over 500 inhouse marketers, found that 91% spend “significant” amounts of time preparing and segmenting data.
This is more time than is spent on key marketing tasks including content creation (82%), tracking and conversions (64%), and measurement and reporting (63%).
But despite marketers spending significant time analysing data, more than tow-fifths (43%) say that they still do not know their customers as people, while nearly all of those surveyed (91%) said they would like to get to know their customers better.
Emarsys reckons this represents a serious roadblock to marketers, with data analysis becoming a significant time sink, despite delivering little real insight into customers, prospects, and audiences.
The firm claims this is mainly due to marketing technologies and systems which are not fit for purpose when it comes to the effective deployment of data.
Emarsys chief executive Joanna Milliken said: “As retail evolves, marketers are being inundated with new data streams drawn from more sophisticated and wide-reaching marketing tactics. They’re having to react to a data landscape that is constantly in flux – and given the rising importance of first-party data, they must step up to the plate.
“That’s fine when they’re equipped with the time and the tools to excel at their craft. But all too often marketers are burdened by legacy tech infrastructures, technical challenges, and a rapidly expanding list of responsibilities, denying them the opportunity to make the most of the available data.
“This gauntlet of roadblocks – time, data and tech – isn’t going anywhere. Marketers need to be empowered to understand their customers as deeply as possible – and that demands the technological platform upon which they can elevate their work.”
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