Martina Schulze-Warnecke from Twilio Inc spoke to Telum about the role of data in communications and highlights key trends within personalisation, first-party data, privacy and consumer loyalty.

How have consumers attitudes and experiences with personalisation evolved over the past 12 months?
Consumer attitudes towards personalisation and privacy continue to evolve at a rapid pace. Twilio’s latest State of Personalisation Report 2022 found that consumers are willing to reward businesses for providing them with a personalised experience. Nearly half (49 percent) say that they will likely become repeat buyers after a personalised shopping experience with a retail brand. We also found that brands risk losing customers if they do not prioritise tailored experiences. 62 percent of consumers worldwide expect personalisation, saying that a brand will lose their loyalty if their experience is not personalised - a 17 percent increase from 2021.

Having said that, despite preferring personalisation, consumers are cautious of communication that feels invasive. Data protection and privacy are top of mind priorities for consumers today. 60 percent of survey respondents emphasised trustworthiness and transparency as the most important traits of a brand, dominating all other traits. This was an increase from 55 percent the previous year.

The report shows consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of how businesses are using their personal data - how can businesses build trust?
Global findings from our State of Personalisation Report highlighted that less than half (40 percent) say they trust brands to use their data responsibly and keep it safe, despite most customers expecting personalisation from brands. We call this the personalisation-privacy paradox. Balancing this paradox is a major challenge for businesses in building customer relationships through personalised experiences.

However, this generational challenge is also an opportunity. Businesses can focus on creating a symbiotic relationship when it comes to building trust with their consumers. For starters, recognising the need for data transparency - allowing customers control on what, where and how their data is used - can help redefine customer relationships. This would empower customers to be aware of the value they are receiving in exchange for their personal information.

More businesses are looking beyond surface-level personalisation and instead personalising their communications with real time data - why is this important?
Customer experience is one of the biggest competitive differentiators for businesses over the next few years, which means personalisation is more crucial than ever.

Data is not static and is constantly changing. Real time data bridges the gap between consumers and businesses in curating personalised customer experiences - by refining customer profiles, segmenting them more granularly and then acting with truly personalised ads, messages and offers. Powered by real time data, personalisation can nurture customer loyalty in the long run.

What are some trends specifically around personalisation that you think we’ll see across industries for the rest of the year?
One major trend that’s powering personalisation across industries is the shift from third-party data to first-party data. It’s an effective way to bridge the personalisation vs privacy paradox. First-party data, or data collected directly from customers with their consent, is optimal for privacy and an effective way to bridge the personalisation vs privacy paradox.

According to the report I mentioned earlier, 63 percent of consumers say they are fine with personalisation, as long as brands are using their own data and not data purchased or rented from third parties.

In fact, the shift from third-party to first-party data is no longer optional. Major web browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox are set to ban third-party data collection by the end of next year.

Many companies are already responding to these changes in consumer preferences, regulations and technology, with 43 percent of business leaders embracing first-party data because it provides better privacy for customers.

We’ll see more businesses join their ranks in the coming years.