Survey: Marketing Leaders Prioritize Personalization, Automation for Website Updates

What’s driving the next wave of website experience? It should come as no surprise that automation and personalization are at the top of the list for 200 marketing leaders in the U.S., Canada, UK and Australia. Sitecore surveyed these executives, who work for organizations in financial services, manufacturing, technology and other sectors, to identify the trends, priorities and barriers shaping website projects and tech investments.

The final report confirms that 97% of marketing executives are prioritizing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to enhance their digital strategies, followed by personalization (92%). However, only 32% of respondents believe their current content management systems (CMS) support effective personalization. Moreover, while 65% of marketers realize that strong integrations and scalability are key to adapting and improving their website experiences, only 13% are confident their current systems have the capabilities required to keep pace with new tech trends and visitor expectations.

Strained Marketing Budgets Remain a Challenge

Many marketing teams are being asked to do more with less. This reality is even hindering digital investments: 76% of respondents cited budget constraints as their biggest barrier to updating (and upgrading) their sites. Nearly a third of respondents (31%) invest less than 5% of their marketing budgets in the company website experience.

“Marketing organizations have an immediate opportunity to better serve their customers by embracing AI, personalization, and other key capabilities into their website strategies,” said Kathie Johnson, CMO of Sitecore in a statement. “At a time when they’re being asked to increase business results with fewer resources, the right CMS can help them flex to meet customer expectations for engaging, connected digital experiences.”

As B2B buyers spend more time researching, comparing and self-navigating through their decision-making journeys, organizations need to ensure their sites have the data, features and capabilities required to drive visitors down-funnel. However, only 16% of marketing executives think their websites effectively support their revenue-driving objectives, indicating that there is a lot of opportunity for improvement.