When it comes to consumer products, over half (57%) of British consumers don’t pay attention to the brands they’re buying as long as the product meets their needs. That’s according to new research by SAP Emarsys, which surveyed over 2,000 people and more than 100 senior marketers at multinational brands on shifting attitudes towards consumer products.
The study, in association with Deloitte, builds on Bain & Company’s findings, which highlight a major industry shift towards ERP and SAP S/4HANA. This shift underscores the need for consumer product brands to break down silos, accelerate operations, and engage customers more meaningfully. To thrive in the ‘Engagement Era,’ as defined by SAP Emarsys, brands must establish a robust data foundation across their entire business. Embracing AI-driven, omnichannel strategies is crucial, as it transforms fragmented data into actionable insights, builds long-term relationships and achieves ‘true’ customer loyalty and lifetime value.
The research goes on to reveal that just a quarter (25%) of these consumer product brands have well-established engagement technologies and strategies – making them an elite group of leaders. This ‘Engagement Era’ success depends on a personalised omnichannel approach across the entire customer lifecycle with leading brands in real-time engagement – like SAP Emarsys customers Molton Brown and Ferrara already putting these strategies into action.
Naresh Krishnamurthy, Senior Manager of Business Transformation at Molton Brown, commented: “At Molton Brown, our customers are our top priority, so the technology we use is critical to our success and operational efficiency. Our collaboration with SAP Emarsys has been exceptional from the start. It has empowered us to transform customer engagement by delivering seamless experiences across both digital and traditional channels, keeping our customers at the centre of our business.”
Meanwhile, the remaining 75% of brands are falling behind, still struggling to turn data into meaningful customer connections and struggling to reach consumers. The research reflects this, finding two-thirds (67%) of consumer product marketers agreeing it’s becoming harder to connect with customers in a meaningful way.
And it’s no surprise that consumer brands are struggling. As people continue to grapple with the cost of living, 62% have switched to own-label alternatives because they are more affordable – and over half (58%) think the quality of own-label alternatives is comparable to branded ones.
As consumer apathy towards brands grows, marketers are recognising the need for change, with 82% needing to significantly transform their approach to customer engagement in 2025. Nearly half (45%) are prioritising becoming more omnichannel and will introduce new channels for engagement, while 43% are prioritising increased engagement across existing ones.
However, questions remain over the data that fuels these strategies. Less than half of marketers (44%) think their businesses have the capability to personalise marketing content and campaigns using customer data; of more concern, barely a quarter (27%) actually do so.
Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys, concluded: “UK consumers aren’t just becoming less loyal to brands – they’re ignoring them entirely. That’s a wake-up call for marketers. Without a strong data foundation, it’s impossible to deliver the real-time, personalised experiences needed to win that all-important ‘true’ loyalty. Molton Brown and Ferrera are outstanding examples of brands achieving this and hitting their business goals while winning the hearts and minds of customers by making every interaction count.”
Learn more at the Personalisation Masterclass, where SAP Emarsys will be launching the UK edition of the new SAP Emarsys Global Customer Products Report in association with Deloitte.
NAM Implications:
- A retrograde step that needs reversing…
- All those years of investment in optimising brand premia in danger of dilution…
- …as savvy consumers resort to ‘objective’ product assessment and comparison.
- Much at stake here, more effective engagement could help.
- Ignore at your peril…
