Marketing campaigns ran by supermarkets and technology companies in 2016 were the most effective, according to new research.

The study, commissioned by 3radical, found that 80% of Brits believed supermarkets’ marketing to be effective and encourage purchase, and 79% for technology brands.

Fashion & beauty brands, along with banks & financial services companies, produced the most uninspiring efforts according to the survey of UK consumers. Half (50%) of UK consumers cited banks & finance as producing the most ineffective marketing, followed closely by fashion & beauty at 38%.

It’s been recently reported that the UK supermarkets, for the most part, had much stronger than expected final financial quarter of the year in 2016 and it seems that their marketing campaigns were big winners too. Also supporting these latest findings are the reports that multi-channel retailers are seeing the greatest success. Marks & Spencer now credits 30% of its online traffic to its mobile phone app, and while 62% of its online sales are now picked up in stores.

The study also found that loyalty schemes have been one of the huge marketing successes of British commerce in the last decade. In fact, 93% of Brits have at some point signed up to be a member of a loyalty programme. Alongside this, where they find a scheme they like, three quarters of respondents (75%) reported being an active member for more than 12 months.

However, many schemes are not as actively used as brands would like. Despite almost a third of all UK consumers having five or more loyalty cards, almost two-thirds of those surveyed (61%) will stick to using only one or two of their favourite schemes on a regular basis. Three quarters (76%) of respondents said that loyalty programmes would be more attractive to them if they provided individuals with more relevant rewards based on their purchase history. Over half (59%) said that including the ability for them to earn rewards for activities leading up to a purchase, such as researching the brands products, and providing more information to help the brand be more relevant, would make the scheme more attractive.

David Eldridge, CEO at 3radical, said: “Whilst mobile and multi-channel approaches have been part of the sales priorities for many years now, 2016 really saw this forming an integral part of consumer marketing in a huge way. The brands that embrace a multi-layered approach – that combines mobile, loyalty, interactivity and creativity – are emerging as clear winners in consumers’ eyes.

“We’ve found that loyalty schemes work extremely well in principal. However, they must they evolve to become a richer, more individual customer experience across the entire customer journey if they are to continue attracting and retaining the attention of their customers. The most successful programmes are those that help to develop more of an emotional connection with the brand rather than a transactional one, by creating interesting ways to interact across the customer journey and therefore offering plenty of ways to re-engage with them multiple times.”

 

By Jonathan Davies, editor, Digital Marketing Magazine

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