Artificial intelligence will not be mainstream in marketing until 2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) will not find mainstream use among marketers until at least 2021 according to a new Marketing Foresight research report from Episerver, the company transforming digital experiences.

The Episerver survey of over 100 in-house marketers across the UK asked marketers which technologies they are currently using and when they intend to incorporate new technologies into their marketing strategy and stack. It found that, despite the abundance of AI-driven marketing tech, most marketers (64 percent) have no plans to incorporate artificial intelligence before 2021.

In contrast, 57 percent of marketers believe they will have incorporated augmented reality (AR) by 2020 and 58 percent will be using virtual reality (VR) as a key part of their marketing approach by the same year. 

With regards to more pressing technologies, 50 percent of marketers plan to adopt big data analytics before the end of 2018, while 60 percent expect to deploy a customer service chatbot by the end of 2019.

For those marketers involved in the retail industry, 71 percent intend to adopt one-click purchasing by the end of 2019, while 54 percent plan to accept virtual currency payments by 2022. The use of drones will move to the mainstream by 2023 as, for the first time, more than half (57 percent) of marketers will incorporate these into their strategy. 

Commenting on the launch of the Marketing Foresight report, Joey Moore, Head of Product Marketing at Episerver, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many marketers planning to evolve their strategies through the adoption of new technology over the next few years. In the face of all this change, however, marketers must not forget about those technologies that enhance their day-to-day work.

“Our Marketing Foresight report highlights that, while marketers are investing more and more in technology, some of the basics are being missed. Many marketers still don’t have a responsive website or a clearly defined mobile strategy and, of those that do, many more are not providing a seamless omnichannel experience.”

Episerver’s 2018 Reimaging Commerce report, based on a global survey of more than 4,000 online shoppers, revealed that 43 percent of UK consumers do not believe that brands do enough to personalise their online shopping experiences—almost 10 percent higher than the global average. Aspects of the shopping experience that also rank highly as ‘must-haves’, include easy-to-use product search functions, ample information about products and returns, and personalized recommendations. 

“The fundamental elements of marketing shouldn’t get lost in a rush to invest in the latest tech. New technologies should always be adopted to support a great customer experience and not purely for the sake of keeping up with the trends,” adds Moore.