How much information is too much for customers?

We were interested to see the results of a recent survey by Gartner, which revealed that customers feel they are being overloaded with information. Whilst this has been fairly obvious for a long time, nothing is definite until it comes directly from the horse’s mouth, right?

The surveyed customers reported that the volume of content they are being presented with by companies is overwhelming and ultimately preventing them from making quick purchasing decisions. 40 per cent of people second-guess their purchasing decisions as a result, which proves the extent of the impact this is having.

As a team of marketeers, we have of course always aligned everything we do with the customer journey. This used to be a fairly simple process, when that journey was relatively linear. Nowadays, with multiple channels for marketing and communication, it’s far more layered and complex.

A more granular and personalised approach is now required, giving the right person just the right amount of information (which is relevant to them), through the right channel at just the right time. Quite the challenge!

The Gartner report did state that the accessibility to information has customers feeling more empowered, which is great from a marketing perspective, but regardless of that the purchasing process continues to suffer. It goes without saying, the more options people have, the more challenging it is for them to make an informed decision. So, what can you do to ensure you’re aligning your strategy with the customer journey?

We’ve summarised our key learnings from the report for you marketing teams out there…

 Follow a less is more approach - this is definitely the way forward based on this research and excuse the clichés, but it’s all about cutting through the noise and focusing on quality rather than quantity!

Collect customer-specific data and insights – because marketing can’t be as generic as it once was, you need to understand exactly what your customers want. Speak to them and discover their needs, then use that data to create content that you know will resonate with them.

Make content more personal – it’s definitely time to think about your customers as individuals, rather than as one group. We all like to access information differently, through different channels, at different times of day etc. etc. Get personal!

You know where we are if we can offer any guidance on anything mentioned above.
Drop us a line!