A report from marketing agency Jaywing found that more than half of marketers ( 65%) do no, or only very basic, personalisation of communications and only 8% fully personalise the customer experience.

However, nine in 10 marketers ( 92%) agreed that data management is a key priority for their business; 61% said CRM is the most important marketing skill in today’s climate, and 65% said the availability of data is one of their brand’s greatest strengths.

Nick Evans, marketing practice director at Jaywing, said: “While the vast majority of marketers understand the positive impact data-driven marketing can have on customer relationships and ROI, they lack the capabilities, knowledge and confidence needed to use the abundance of data available to them.  With the rapid pace of change in the technological landscape, it is more essential than ever for marketers to ensure their marketing is data-driven, customer-centric, personalised and measurable.”

“The Government’s Digital Strategy highlights data as a key catalyst for the development of the UK economy, and businesses need to be prepared to take advantage of the technology and data driving this growth.”

The report surveyed more than 250 managerial to c-level marketers across four industry sectors.