New research into consumer trust in the UK from Mailchimp positions trust as a fundamental building block of personalisation – a key consumer-focussed trend that is on the rise among UK marketers. However, personalisation requires the right data and the right tools to be effective, so how can tools like GenAI be leveraged to support personalisation at scale – and what must marketers overcome to utilise such tools effectively?
To find out, Raconteur’s creative director of branded content, Tom Watts, sat down with Jim Rudall, head of EMEA at Intuit Mailchimp.
Recent Mailchimp research shows that nearly one-in-two consumers say they want to buy from brands that they trust. How important is it for brands to build trust with their audience – and how can they do this, especially through their marketing?
We can always take it as read that trust is incredibly important, right? I feel like that the rise of ecommerce and the convenience that it brings has occasionally diluted the notion that trust is incredibly important. But what the research is showing is that the consumer is holding all the power right now in this dynamic between brands and consumers.
They’ve got all the choice in the world, and they’ve got all the channels through which to execute on that choice. They can literally buy from anyone, anywhere, at any time. So how do they make that decision? How do I select who I engage with? And one of the key levers for making that decision is trust. Do I trust this brand as its values resonate with me? Has it delivered this amazing experience in the build-up to me making this decision, and what have I experienced in the past? Am I reacting to previous experiences that enable me to feel like, if I click that buy button, for example, I’m going to get the experience that’s been promised? With so much choice, trust is incredibly important to help consumers make great decisions.
The research also shows that the use of personalisation is growing among marketers. What does this mean for brand marketers in terms of how they think about campaigns and especially email?
I’m unfortunately old enough to remember when the concept of personalisation, particularly online, started becoming important. It feels like it’s been in the conversation for the best part of 15 years or so, and it’s been the holy grail for any number of direct-to-consumer brands who want to be able to have that kind of one-to-one conversation at scale, right?
The reason why it’s so important is because all our research over the last few months demonstrates that consumers that receive personalised communication that’s not only relevant in terms of product, but also feels like it’s speaking directly to them, will feel more valued, right? So, a consumer who feels valued is more likely to transact and spend more money.
The challenge for brands up until now has been the ability to do this personalisation at scale. The amount of data that’s required to build clear profiles on your customers; the ability to configure that data and get it into systems that you can then use to deliver messages, communications, email, for example, and then the technology to do that at scale - it’s been a real challenge for the industry up until very recently. The advent of AI, coupled with powerful tools like Mailchimp, is making personalisation at scale a reality. So, AI, alongside the tools with the capability to drive these campaigns is finally giving marketers and brands the ability to do this one-to-one engagement at scale. It’s exciting.
Like you say, it’s about the right data, it’s about the right tools, but I think a key element of this as well is, ultimately, trust. Consumers put a lot of faith into a brand when they hand over the information that ultimately powers personalisation. How can brands live up to this show of faith and capitalise on personalisation without compromising on trust?
It’s such an important question, particularly with the last couple of years, with the focus, both from a consumer and legislative perspective, on the use of data, privacy, GDPR, cookies, etc.
What’s interesting is, despite all the intention and focus on the use of data, I believe that consumers are really willing to give their personal information over to trusted brands, if those brands are transparent about how they’re going to use them, right? So, we’ve already established that consumers want a personalised experience, and they feel valued if they get one. They know if they give their information over to these brands, then they’ll get relevant communications. But the brands have got to be incredibly clear on where they’re using this data, how they’re collecting it, and how it will be used to give value back to the consumer.
We talk about this idea of value exchange, right? The consumer provides data which gives value to the brand. The brand delivers an amazing experience in return, and the building of trust over time is a function of this continued value exchange. I give you something, you give me something, and we continue to thrive in this relationship.
Do you think that marketers need a mindset shift in the way that they think about and approach personalisation?
I believe that the marketers I’ve spent time with over the course of my time working in this space have always been passionate about personalisation. They’ve always wanted to be able to create that personal connection. I think the mindset shift must come from the fact that A) it is now more possible than it was before, and B) that AI is one of the tools that will enable you to deliver it.
In our recent Science of Loyalty research report, our findings demonstrated that consumers expect brands to use AI. Consumers are saying that, if AI is a tool that you can use to communicate with me better, then I expect you to use it. So, brands and retailers are now feeling the weight of expectation to use AI in a responsible way to drive these engagements. I think that’s the mindset shift.
It’s clear that marketers need to embrace that forward thinking approach. How is Mailchimp thinking about GenAI, and how are you using it to keep your customers competitive?
Yeah, it’s a great question, and you reference the fact that GenAI is a buzzword right now but what I find remarkable, and rewarding is that Intuit made this bet five years ago when our CEO declared that AI is going to be the most transformative technology of our generation, if perhaps ever. Without sounding too smug about it, we’ve been on this journey for five years, and now the concept is in the conversation, and as a result of us declaring this five years ago, we are pioneering. We feel like we’re in a good place to take everything that we’ve learned and built over the last five years and bring it to our customers to help them be successful.
I talk about this in two ways when it comes to marketing. Firstly, AI can be an amazing tool to enable businesses with no marketing expertise or capabilities to deliver marketing campaigns. It can enable somebody who’s never run an email campaign before to create amazing content, to find the right audience, to deliver the right message, to do that at scale without really any expertise whatsoever. It’s kind of democratising marketing in that way.
The other way I talk about it is for large organisations who’ve got more established marketing capabilities. It allows them to operate at an even greater scale. We talked earlier about how AI is now bringing the concept of personalisation at scale to life, and AI can unlock the capabilities of these incredibly talented marketing teams to do everything they’ve been trying to do - but at a scale that really makes sense, that really matters. It enables those teams to put the process and administration of marketing in the hands of AI so they can unlock their own creativity. It’s an exciting time!
Looking forward, what would your advice be for marketers looking to better use generative AI in their campaigns? Who are maybe taking their first steps, and how can they enhance the level of personalisation they offer by doing so?
Marketers thrive on the ability to learn from the results that they’re yielding from their campaigns, but now you need to do that with AI in mind. Look to embrace what your customers are telling you they want to see in the engagements that you have. Our research shows that consumers want personalisation and want to feel like brands have got the tools to do it - so let’s make it happen. They’re saying, “engage with me” and are prepared to give their personal information if brands tell them what they’re going to use it for and provide the experiences that consumers want. So, I think marketers need to embrace that concept. If they believe that their consumers are keen to engage, then they can embrace the adoption of technology or the use of technology with that in mind.
The other piece of advice I always give to brands is to invest as much time as you can in understanding your customer, right? Are you really clear on who your customer is and why they engage with you? Is it your brand values? Is it your brand story? What are the problems you’re solving with your services or products? Are you really clear on that? What value do you bring? I’m always interested in how brands, over time, can often lose sight of that as they start to grow and scale and diversify.
Try to make sure you’re clear on those two things. Do you really understand who your customers are and why they engage with you? Are you really clear on your values and your brand and why you’re here? And if you take those two concepts and embrace the concept of testing and learning using AI, then you’ll have a successful second half of the year.
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Disclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed in this article are those of the people interviewed and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Intuit, Mailchimp or any of its cornerstone brands or employees. The primary purpose of this article is to educate and inform. This article does not constitute financial or other professional advice or services.
