Kustomer found the most desired retail personalization features were quick access to recently viewed products (59%) and online account information and purchase history (55%). But take note: ability to opt out of personalization (52%) ranked far ahead of personalized product selections based on past browsing and buying behavior (32%), behavior on other retail websites (19%), or demographic information (12%).
Drilling into retail, Newstore’s secret shopper research into 250 top brands found capabilities have increased dramatically in the past year: for example, 53% now offer buy online pick-up in-store (BORIS) options, up from 25% two years ago. In-store experience may have suffered as investments shift elsewhere: just 48% give mobile devices to in-store staff, down from 68% two years ago.
This is our last newsletter of the year, Dear Reader, so I’ll keep it upbeat. Here’s a nice study by market research firm Censuswide, which reports that 66% of marketers expect a higher budget in 2022. Greatest growth will be in mobile advertising, podcasts, connected TV, and out of home. Fun!
It’s deal-making time for generative AI model builders and publishers who can provide them with quality data. Germany publishing giant Axel Springer is trading access to its data for Microsoft adtech, AI, and Azure hosting solutions. Meanwhile, The Financial Times has struck a deal with OpenAI to license its content with attribution of summaries and quotes.