PwC assures the data and methodology in this industry-first report
[LONDON AND NEW YORK] – [June 21, 2017] Qubit , the leader in marketing personalization technology, has released the results of an unprecedented analysis of more than two billion user journeys and 120 million purchases to determine the potential revenue uplift that ecommerce businesses can expect from specific optimization techniques.
The report reveals that ecommerce businesses could add as much as six percent[1] to their revenues, representing tens of billions of dollars globally, by focusing on the most effective optimization and personalization techniques.
The report sheds light on the effect for online revenue when businesses engage in high performing website optimization and personalization strategies such as scarcity, urgency, or social proof messaging. These types of techniques perform functions like displaying current stock levels for products being viewed, or alerting shoppers when a sale is ending soon. The report also highlights areas where ecommerce businesses may be allocating resources to lower performing strategies.
“Now is the moment for transparency in our industry,” says Graham Cooke, founder and CEO of Qubit. “Ecommerce leaders have to get personalization right when they’re trying to compete against the likes of Amazon, and yet it’s so hard to know what really works. We want every marketer to know precisely what tactics will help them beat the 800-pound ecommerce gorilla, and I invite other vendors in our industry to do the same.”
The top techniques measured in the report were:
|
Rank |
Measured technique |
Definition |
Mean uplift (RPV) |
|
1 |
Scarcity |
Highlighting items that are low in stock. |
2.9% |
|
2 |
Social proof |
Leveraging the behavior of other users to provide information about currently trending and popular products. |
2.3% |
|
3 |
Urgency |
Using a time limit to promote urgency to complete an action before a deadline. |
1.5% |
A number of common, less effective techniques measured in the report:
|
Rank |
Measured technique |
Definition |
Mean uplift (RPV) |
|
7 |
Page redesign |
Significant changes to the design of a page, usually involving multiple elements changing on a page. |
0.2% |
|
16 |
Button changes |
Any change that involves a button. |
-0.2% |
|
19 |
Navigation changes |
Techniques focused on altering the navigation bar or link structure. |
-0.2% |
The data shows that programmatic and personalization experiences that tap into customer, product, or business data are providing anywhere from two to 14 times more incremental revenue per visitor (RPV) [2] versus traditional optimization efforts, which focus mainly on cosmetic changes such as colors and location of buttons. Conversely, experiences like popups or buttons that take a user back to the top of the page, can even have a negative impact.
The study also finds that businesses that engage in targeted personalization based on user behaviors and preferences can expect a three times better result than untargeted marketing tactics. The complete report can be found here .
The Effectiveness Fog
A survey of nearly 250 marketers [3] shows that more than a quarter (26 percent) of brands spend over $51,000 on website testing and optimization tactics, and of those, nearly one in ten (8 percent) spend more than $100,000 annually. Yet many of these basic tactics are highlighted in the report data as having limited effectiveness.
The survey also highlighted transparency concerns similar to those seen in the advertising industry, with 72 percent of respondents agreeing that tech vendors could be more transparent about the effectiveness and measurement of their solutions.
“At Arcadia we have always been focused on making sure our digital marketing investments drive true, incremental value to the business. Personalization is helping us build relationships with our customers that translate into increased engagement, loyalty and revenue,” said Simon Pritchard, group digital director at Arcadia. “All of the Arcadia brands – Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, and Wallis – are working with Qubit and seeing great returns by investing in a platform that delivers personalization at scale. This report backs up our trust in Qubit and I’m delighted to see that that they are the first to take a stand, releasing the results of this study to call for greater transparency and rigor in the market.”
Consumers Demand Personalization
Qubit’s research also reveals the highly competitive online environment brands face, with almost three quarters (73 percent) of online consumers [4] spending most of their money on between just one to five websites.
Consumer sentiment also appears to support the report’s findings, showing that customers value data-driven personalization. Half of the respondents (50 percent) said they enjoyed receiving product recommendations that fit their interests or preferences, while almost half (49 percent) said they were willing to share their preferences with a business in order to receive a better shopping experience.
A majority of respondents (81 percent) said it was either ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ that a website provided targeted promotions based on their own preferences.
“We’ve performed the most comprehensive study of marketing personalization in the industry,” said Will Browne, data scientist and product manager at Qubit. “What is particularly exciting is the size of the cumulative effect we see for our top performing clients; with some personalization strategies having up to a 6 percent impact on ecommerce revenue.”
“There are clearly longstanding issues around transparency in marketing, which will only be solved by advertisers and providers rigorously and openly assessing whether the services that marketers are paying for are actually delivering results” said Sam Tomlinson, partner at PwC. “My team worked with the Qubit data science team to subject their methodology – i.e. their data capture, calculations and reporting – to our rigorous independent assurance procedures. The report by Qubit provides a detailed analysis of today’s marketing toolkit and, given the scale and depth of data analysed, is a first of its kind that I have seen.”
About This Study
Qubit categorized and analyzed more than 2 billion user journeys and 120 million purchases, from a repository of 12.5 billion, to determine the type of uplift ecommerce businesses can expect from multiple optimization techniques. The full set of data and methodology from this study can be found here . To read the full PwC independent assurance opinion click here.
About Qubit.
Qubit is the leader in delivering highly persuasive personalization at scale. Award-winning brands in ecommerce, travel and gaming work with Qubit to transform the way they understand and influence their customers. Companies like Ubisoft, CafePress, Topshop, Shiseido, Ladbrokes and Emirates are using the Qubit personalization platform to increase revenue, build loyalty and significantly improve their marketing efficiency. Every week Qubit is used to personalize approximately $600 million in online sales. Headquartered in London, the company has offices across Europe and the U.S. For more information, please visit: www.qubit.com
About PwC
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 223,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.
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[1] The cumulative effect on revenue per visitor (RPV) observed by Qubit’s top customers using the most effective optimization and personalization techniques.
[2] Revenue per visitor (RPV) is defined as the expected revenue from a single visitor.
[3] Survey of 243 U.S. and U.K. marketers conducted online by Research Now Group, Inc. on behalf of Qubit between May 25-31, 2017
[4] Survey of 1,197 consumers in the U.S. and U.K. conducted online by Toluna Quick Surveys on behalf of Qubit on May 25, 2017
