Report: Marketers Slow to Adopt Tech Advances 

Data from our latests global survey as revealed that despite the introduction of bots and artificial intelligence to simplify and improve the digital customer experience, Australian marketers won’t be looking to adopt these technologies in the near future. 

Research from What Marketers Want: Five Strategic Opportunities for 2018 shows that despite popular thought, new innovations are losing out to tried and tested methods. New technology is not top of mind for today’s marketers and there’s a disconnect between what is available and what is being implemented. Our study found that only 19% of Australian marketers plan to invest in virtual reality and 13% of marketers plan to invest in augmented reality this year. Additionally, only 19 per cent of marketers fear redundancy through automation and a mere 27% are concerned about their competitors adopting artificial intelligence.

By contrast, the research revealed that 61% of Aussies marketers believe video is king and will be investing in this space in 2018. Other areas of content investment include image-led (48%) and audio (33%). Whilst it’s evident that digital is receiving a great amount of attention, this has its limitations and marketers are only willing to be so adventurous in the tech they’re adopting.

Easy does it

New technologies might not be vital to marketing campaigns just yet, nor central to a business structure, but our statistics reveal there is an appetite for it. 44% of marketers believe the number one skill they should bring to their team in 2018 is experience working with various tech platforms. As marketers expand their repertoire and become more digitally-savvy, there is greater opportunity to zero in on what consumers want and grow that relationship through more targeted and efficient measures.

High on the priority list for marketers is also collaboration, with 32% wanting to educate their teams on how to work more effectively with other departments across the organisation. In the past, difficulties in modernising have arisen out of difficulties faced by different sectors to being unable to successfully branch out of their silos. Working cohesively is a key point of focus for marketers in 2018, especially as different sectors deal with customers at different touchpoints, demonstrating the importance of unifying this process. Digital holds the answer to making this process happen more efficiently, so even though we’re not there yet, the future is in sight.

Anthony Capano, MD for Rakuten Marketing Asia-Pacific says, “The findings from this research are going to help inform how we work with our clients and ensure we’re providing them with the recommendations they need to run their businesses effectively. We understand what our clients need, and as a company that emphasises future planning Rakuten Marketing will continue to remain on the cusp of the latest technology marketers are adopting.”

Download the report now!