of all CP marketers believe they must ADAPT TO CHANGE faster than ever before
How are CPs navigating this new era?
Defining the Engagement Era
Trends are pushing brands and marketers away from using their traditional strategies, like price hikes and increased ad spending. Savvy CP marketers know that survival in this Era of Engagement means more drastic change is not only essential but in fact urgent.
Scroll through to see a breakdown of the 5 top trends that have become the driving forces for innovation, opening new opportunities for marketers to raise their engagement maturity scores:
1. Consumers have become harder to engage … and retain
From the consumer’s perspective, managing the cost of living takes priority over their loyalty to a CP brand. Many premium products can potentially be replaced with own-label (private/store label) alternatives.
57% of consumers have switched to own-label alternative products because they are more affordable.
Before brands can engage consumers with meaningful experiences, marketers first need to understand those consumers.
77% of all CP marketers believe consumer behavior is becoming harder to predict.
Key takeaway: Marketers must adapt to the shift in loyalty, developing engagement strategies that will deepen brand affinity.
While nearly half of consumers perceive AI marketing as a tool that can get them desirable deals and offers, they don’t perceive it as something that creates more personal interactions.
41% of consumers want more personal deals and offers.
89% of all CP marketers believe AI will be essential for engaging new customers.
The increased awareness of AI, plus the proliferation of generative AI, means marketers have new tools on hand for developing campaigns and increasing their efficiency.
Key takeaway: To accomplish advanced personalization at scale, marketers require the ability to predict and respond to consumer behavior in real time while maximizing their creative efficiency, which is why they’re so keen on AI.
2. AI and the demand for personalization-driven innovation
Historically, CP brands have focused on traditional marketing (TV ads, print, radio, event sponsorships, etc.), and those channels will continue to be of value going forward; however, research has revealed that there are other channels that are disrupting the industry, like virtual reality or an in-home voice assistant.
Top 5 channels used by consumers to interact with brands
Top 5 channels used by CP marketers to engage consumers
Key takeaway: Marketers and consumers both indicated that email and web were their top two engagement channels. This solidifies the need to ensure these channels are as personalized as possible for faster purchasing decisions.
3. Consumer channels become more varied and volatile
No consumer wants to share their personal data only for it to fall into a digital void, where it becomes what’s known as dark data.
80% of consumers say it’s important that brands have a clear data privacy policy.
51% of CP marketers say their organization suffers from “dark data” (data that is collected but not effectively used).
Key takeaway: When consumers share their data, they have a reasonable expectation of receiving value in exchange, and it’s up to marketers to deliver.
4. Consumers push back on “dark data”
It should come as no surprise that Gen Z, known as the first true digital natives, is accelerating digitization at a rapid pace. Gen Zers are more engaged through mobile apps and social commerce platforms than Boomers.
One area where the generations agree is that almost everyone is looking for ways to save:
88% of Gen Zers and 85% of Boomers have made spending cutbacks.
Key takeaway: The more consumers are looking to save, the greater the competition, and this is where personalized engagement will make a difference and help drive more purchasing decisions. The Engagement Era belongs to the upcoming generations more than any other, but each generation will have its own way of using digital channels. The ability to segment and personalize for the different generations will be critical for marketers who want to future-proof their engagement strategy.
5. Gen Z shakes up consumer spending and saving
Dark data, in short, is data collected by marketers with no clear purpose or use, which is then also not used in a way that shows benefit to the consumer.
Brands of all maturity levels should lay the foundation for integrated data across their organization, sharing customer engagement data with financial and operational processes and systems (e.g., Enterprise Resource Planning or ERPs).
Six Milestones to Hit Along the Journey
Brands must be present on all channels that are relevant to their consumers to meet them where they are. This demands flexibility and preparation in the various engagement approaches. Brands with low maturity should use consumer data to identify the right channels to use, while brands that are more mature should experiment with new channels and A/B testing for optimization.
Brands of all maturity levels need the ability to leverage data for deep personalization across all touchpoints to enhance consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Consumers are willing to exchange their data in return for value, so be sure to meet their expectations.
Brands of all maturity levels should ensure they are fully integrating AI within marketing teams. This includes both investing in AI tools and driving adoption. Consider the use of GenAI to locate products faster as product portfolios grow, or generate high-value segments with just a few prompts.
Marketers need technical solutions that are agile and adaptable to rapid changes in the market. Brands with low to medium maturity in particular should focus on building a foundation that can scale with ease as they seek to enter new markets and drive loyalty, and highly-mature brands should focus on streamlining solutions and reducing complexity.
Brands of all maturity levels should ensure they have the means to tie campaigns and programs to marketing-generated sales. Having strategic dashboards built directly into a customer engagement platform grants visibility into key areas such as sales, channel growth, and segment analytics. Additionally, insight into the complete customer lifecycle helps marketers prioritize their time and effort for maximum value. Brands with low maturity in particular should prioritize gaining access to real-time insights so they can take action at critical moments and drive purchase decisions.
of all CP marketers believe they need to “significantly transform” their company's customer engagement approach in 2025.
of Gen Z say they don’t care about “brands” as long as a CP meets their needs—more than any previous generation.
How Ferrara Sweetened Its Direct Consumer Engagement
Ferrara is a sweet snacking manufacturer making well-known brands including NERDS, Jelly Belly, Trolli, SweeTARTS, and more.
John Frieda Masters the Art of Product Launches
The John Frieda brand was founded on the idea of disrupting the haircare industry with salon-quality products tailored to specific hair concerns.
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About the Research
14,000 general respondents and 750 senior marketers
UK, US, Germany, Australia, UAE, Taiwan, and Brazil
*Opinium abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct, which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Opinium is also a member of the British Polling Council.
2,000 general respondents across the US
Data collected February 20 – 28, 2025
100 senior decision makers in the marketing teams of enterprise-level businesses
500+ employees and with $250 M+ annual turnover across the US
Data was collected February 3 – 24, 2025
Marketer by sector
Marketer by business model
Engagement
of Gen Z say they DON'T CARE ABOUT "BRANDS" as long as a consumer product meets their needs—more than any previous generation
Strategies Emerge From the Research:
Ferrara needed a way to modernize its consumer engagement platforms and data management systems to address evolving market demands and consumer preferences effectively, but was limited by legacy technologies.
By partnering with SAP Emarsys and Deloitte and pivoting to a more data-informed and consumer-centric approach, Ferrara uncovered insights into its fan base, such as the fact that many enjoy Ferrara candies while gaming.
59% increase in contactable customers
20% above industry average open rates for email campaigns
300% fan growth of Trolli brand
“Our marketing teams are really looking to engage directly with consumers to provide them with content and campaigns, because we want happy brand fans.”
Dan Bartelsen, Director of Information Technology, Business Partners for E-Commerce and Digital, Ferrara
With a presence in 24 countries and over 88 products, the company found it difficult to effectively connect with consumers. The marketing team needed the ability to identify its audience and increase conversion rates for new products.
By partnering with SAP Emarsys and BlueWheel, John Frieda was able to develop and execute a comprehensive omnichannel launch strategy for the ULTRAfiller+ across email, social media, paid social ads, web, and online and physical stores.
#1 most popular product in the John Frieda catalogue
4X conversion rate compared with average CVR
88% of users purchased two or more products
“For lifecycle marketing, we wanted to provide personalized experiences for increased conversion rate, develop segmentation strategies for improved retention and conversion, implement automation triggers to nurture current and future customers, and educate our existing audience and identify customer needs for this new product line.”
Lyla Holt, Global Digital Marketing Manager, Consumer Care
at John Frieda
Consumers have become harder to engage – and retain
AI and the demand for personalization-driven innovation
Consumer channels become more varied and volatile
Consumers push back on “dark data”
Gen Z shakes up consumer spending and saving
85%
56%
Data Incorporation
Omnichannel Flexibility
Advanced Personalization
Scalable Growth
Measurable Growth
AI Integration
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of all CP marketers believe they must adapt to change “faster than ever before”.
of all CP marketers believe AI will be essential for engaging new customers.
of all CP marketers share customer engagement data with their financial and operational processes and systems (e.g. Enterprise Resource Planning or ERPs).
plan to improve this in the future.
of consumers say they’ve made spending cutbacks, but with notable generational differences in where they make those cuts.
of consumers have switched to own-label alternatives because they are more affordable.
of consumers are put off by brands asking for data but not explaining how it will be used.
A Roadmap to Engagement:
Supercharge Your Consumer Products Omnichannel Customer Experience
Download your copy of "The Consumer Products Engagement Report" from SAP Emarsys and Deloitte.
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Global research conducted by Opinium*
Consumer research
Marketer research
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What are the priorities enabling data strategies?
What role does Artificial Intelligence play?
Which channels are brands using to connect with consumers?
How do consumers feel about brands?
Adjust your focus to see the transformation
Data Incorporation
Omnichannel Flexibility
Advanced Personalization
AI Integration
Scalable Growth
Measurable Growth
Click on each action item below for more
Case Studies
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Five Consumer Products Trends
Uncover the clues to top trends here
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the power of engagement
CASE STUDY 1
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41% of consumers actively advocate for their favorite brands in public.
60% of consumers believe that if they buy directly from a product’s website, it should cost less.
72% of all CP marketers say it’s becoming harder to engage meaningfully with customers.
86% of all CP marketers think it will be essential for retaining existing customers.
39% of consumers want/value products or content created by AI (e.g., customized designs or tools).
9% want brands to create more personal interactions using AI.
38%
31%
28%
24%
23%
Web
Mobile apps
Social media content
Social media advertising
Web
Email
Social media advertising
E-commerce
Social media posts/content
55%
52%
49%
47%
42%
79% of consumers are put off when brands ask for a lot of personal data.
Across all generations, only 9% of consumers indicated that they haven’t cut back on anything.
UNLOCK ENGAGEMENT
in association with
Consumers today expect more in exchange for their loyalty, but many consumer product (CP) brands are feeling the pressure to adapt to shifting behaviors and demographics that stem from inflation, supply chain disruptions, market saturation, and more.
That’s why the latest joint study from SAP Emarsys, and Deloitte, titled “The Consumer Products Engagement Report,” explores how digital transformation is impacting the status quo of marketing, both for consumers and brands, especially considering:
of all CP marketers believe they must ADAPT TO CHANGE faster than ever before
85%
56%
of Gen Z say they DON'T CARE ABOUT "BRANDS" as long as a consumer product meets their needs—more than any previous generation
The research suggests that transformation is already underway:
Marketing has entered the Engagement Era.
?
of Gen Z say they DON'T CARE ABOUT "BRANDS" as long as a consumer product meets their needs—more than any previous generation
?
of Gen Z say they DON'T CARE ABOUT "BRANDS" as long as a consumer product meets their needs—more than any previous generation
In this era, it is critical for brands to differentiate themselves by creating a dialogue with consumers, taking an omnichannel approach across the entire consumer lifecycle—complete with a foundation of connected data across every touchpoint of the business.
Adjust your focus to see the transformation
Read on to find out...
How are CPs navigating this new era?
What are the priorities enabling data strategies?
What role does Artificial Intelligence play?
Which channels are brands using to connect with consumers?
How do consumers feel about brands?
How are Gen Z shoppers impacting consumption?
Engagement
New research reveals how digital transformation is impacting the status quo of marketing
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Navigating the New Rules of
