Study: Email favored for personalization, but ROI metrics are elusive

Email reigns as the go-to personalization tool, especially in North America. The problem, though, is ROI metrics.

Email ranks only sixth in delivering ROI with personalization, although that may be because it’s difficult to measure, according to The Age of Personalization, a survey by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by Mastercard.

North American companies lead the way, with 56 percent using email for personalization, compared with 47 percent in Europe and 42 percent in Asia-Pacific.

The second-most-popular tactic is product offerings and recommendations, used by 54 percent in North America, 56 percent in Europe and 44 percent in Asia-Pacific.

Social media is fourth, just behind the in-person customer experience. Among North American firms, 46 percent use social platforms, compared with 50 percent in Europe and 39 percent in Asia-Pacific.

However, only 21 percent say email delivers the highest ROI on personalization, and 12 percent expect it to do so by 2010. It is tied on current ROI with pricing strategies (e.g., dynamic pricing online) and social media. Those tactics beat email on ROI expectations for 2020.

In contrast, 39 percent say product offerings and recommendations now deliver high ROI. That’s followed by in-person customer experience (34 percent) and online customer experience (22 percent).