Tech and data integration a challenge to omni-channel marketing in Indonesia

Technology or software limitation is the top challenge holding companies in Indonesia back from carrying out effective and consistent omni-channel marketing across channels, revealed a study commissioned by Resulticks. Some 57% of the companies based in Indonesia cited this, much higher than the 41% from the region. Titled “The Omnichannel Imperative", the report documents responses from 345 businesses in Southeast Asia, of which 12% are based in Indonesia. Coming in second as the most common challenge (45%) is the poor data integration across systems. Only 22% and 21% somewhat agreed and strongly agreed respectively that they take an integrated approach to customer engagement across different channels, leveraging customer data with technology and processes to support omni-channel capabilities. This is much lower than the region's 32% and 38%. However, there is evident consensus in the region to continue expanding and improving their state of omni-channel readiness. At least 70% of executives across Indonesia (74%), Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Philippines stated an intent to increase spend on omni-channel technologies in 2019. For companies in Indonesia, real-time marketing is the top marketing priority with 90% in agreement, compared to just 65% in the region. This far exceeds other aspects - omni-channel delivery and engagement, 360-degree customer view, personalisation, customer journey mapping, artificial intelligence, and customer data platform - which all fall below 50% in Indonesia. Resulticks CEO Redickaa Subrammanian said that much like consumers worldwide, APAC consumers have come to expect sophisticated, individualised experiences in real time across whatever channel they choose to engage. She added,A brand’s ability to deliver against those elevated expectations will increasingly separate the companies that thrive from those that struggle merely to survive. Interestingly, while social ranks as the top marketing channel for the region (81%), Indonesia companies are seen banking on email more (81%), recording 10% lower for social. At the bottom three are beacons, QR codes and SMS. Getting started While the challenges and opportunities may differ across industries, Subrammanian said that the essentials of omni-channel readiness remain remarkably consistent: a consolidated data backbone; an appropriate mix of both digital and physical channels; and the marketing technology to deliver contextual communication in real-time. The report details six recommendations summarised by Marketing Interactive below:Assess the data situation to fully understand what customer data is available and the level of granularity it affords Focus on the customer journey to unearth customer pain points and addressing them with the right engagement at the right time Select the right vendor by looking through the organisation's requirement thoroughly Integrate omni-channel solution well with internal data, processes and existing systems by finding the right platform that can co-exist with some parts of the existing ecosystem Secure top management buy-in by involving decision makers early on in the cycle Be realistic about omni-channel by taking a phased approach and prioritising channels The survey was carried out online by Econsultancy in the first quarter of 2019. Respondents were from Econsultancy’s database of marketers and eCommerce professionals. Read more: Customer service beats omnichannel perfection, CMO Council study reveals Kantar Consulting launches retail and shopper practice Samsonite debuts omni-channel concept store targeted at women Love, Bonito bags US$13 million in funding, tightens omni-channel strategy