Personalisation has been one of the most talked-about ambitions in customer marketing for more than 15 years but for many brands it still proves difficult to deliver at scale. The challenge is less about aspiration and more about execution: bringing together reliable data, winning trust from customers, and demonstrating impact in a way that secures internal support.
Those realities were front and centre at The Personalisation Payoff: Trust, Timing and What Drives Real Response, a breakfast briefing hosted by Plinc on 25 September at Mary Ward House, Tavistock Square.
The session opened with a preview of Plinc’s forthcoming consumer research, which will be released shortly as a full report. The heart of the morning, however, was a panel discussion with senior CRM leaders from Moonpig, Anthropologie Europe and The Body Shop, who reflected on what personalisation really looks like inside their organisations.
The conversation moved quickly from foundations to frontline practice, debating how to make data dependable, how to educate teams beyond the CRM function, how to embed loyalty in retail operations, and where AI is beginning to show value.
This debrief distils the most important lessons from that panel into strategic principles and practical steps for CRM leaders.
1. Data confidence as the foundation
The panel began with a challenge that remains unresolved for many marketing teams: how to build confidence in the data that personalisation depends on. Panellists highlighted how incomplete records, disconnected systems and outdated inputs all create a fragile starting point. Even when a “single customer view” exists, latency and gaps in integration mean marketers cannot always rely on what they see.
One area of concern was the reliance on platform-based models that act as a black box. Teams may see positive results but cannot explain how recommendations are generated or what data they rely on. Without that transparency, confidence erodes quickly and it becomes harder to make the business case for further investment.
Practical solutions are emerging. Progressive profiling, where small pieces of data are gathered over time in return for clear value, was cited as a way to enrich customer records without overwhelming people. Sanity checks before activation, such as filtering out unrealistic birthdates or running test sends, were seen as essential disciplines.
The shared view was clear. Brands must first earn the right to personalise by raising confidence in their inputs. Without solid foundations, scaling activity risks wasted effort and a loss of customer trust.
2. Trust and the value exchange
Even with better data, personalisation cannot succeed without trust. Customers are willing to share information, but only when they believe it will be used responsibly and to deliver a clear benefit. The panel discussed how personalisation has become a privilege, not a right, and must be treated as such.
Simple actions can go a long way. Clear explanations of what is being collected and why, straightforward preference centres, and obvious signs of value in exchange for data were highlighted as practical steps. These actions not only reduce opt-outs but also differentiate brands that put transparency at the heart of their customer experience.
There was agreement that trust will become even more important as AI-driven approaches mature. The ability to explain how decisions are made and to demonstrate human oversight will be critical for maintaining confidence. Panellists emphasised that transparency should not be treated as a compliance exercise but as a brand asset in its own right.
The message was consistent: trust is the licence to personalise. Without it, even the most sophisticated campaigns will fail to deliver lasting impact.
3. Making the business case in commercial language
Securing investment for personalisation requires more than enthusiasm. The panel stressed that CRM teams must present their case in the language of business leaders, focusing on profitability and long-term value rather than campaign volume or tactical wins.
Incremental lift was described as the baseline metric for proving effectiveness. By showing the difference in response between targeted and non-targeted groups, teams can demonstrate impact in a way that resonates with finance and commercial colleagues. Lifetime value and retention were also cited as critical measures, shifting the conversation away from short-term trade revenue and towards sustainable growth.
Several panellists emphasised the power of missed-opportunity calculations. Comparing the spend of loyalty members to non-members, or tracking transactions that were not captured against a loyalty ID, can quickly highlight the financial upside of personalisation. Similarly, simple visuals such as the “leaky bucket” analogy can help non-specialists understand the cost of poor retention and the value of customer investment.
The advice was clear: avoid hiding failed tests. Sharing learnings openly builds credibility and demonstrates a culture of continual improvement. In a climate of tight budgets and heightened scrutiny, honesty paired with evidence gives CRM teams a stronger seat at the table.
4. Educating the broader business
Personalisation cannot succeed if it is seen as the sole responsibility of the CRM team. The panel agreed that much of the work is internal education, helping colleagues across departments understand both the scale of customer communications and the value of doing them well.
One proven approach is mapping out the entire communication ecosystem. By showing every message a customer receives, from marketing campaigns to service updates, teams can make visible the sheer volume of contact. This exercise often reframes internal debates, shifting conversations from “what my department wants to say” to “what the customer actually experiences.”
Practical demonstrations were also cited as powerful tools. Running side-by-side comparisons of generic and personalised campaigns can quickly highlight the incremental value of targeting. Similarly, dashboards that surface customer metrics beyond trade revenue, such as retention, satisfaction and unsubscribe rates, can bring commercial weight to the discussion.
Cultural change is just as important as technical progress. Encouraging stakeholders to see themselves as customers, and to reflect on what they find valuable or frustrating in their own inboxes, helps humanise the debate. The message from London was clear: educating the business is a continuous effort, and without it personalisation will remain stuck in a tactical silo.
5. Loyalty in action: equipping retail teams
For multi-channel retailers, the role of store teams was highlighted as a critical but often overlooked part of personalisation. Loyalty schemes can be a powerful driver of value, yet they only deliver when retail colleagues are engaged and understand their importance.
The panel shared examples of how reframing loyalty in commercial terms makes it relevant to store managers. Rather than presenting sign-ups as a marketing initiative, linking them directly to till revenue showed “what’s in it for them.” In one case, calculating the annual value uplift from a typical week’s worth of new sign-ups made the benefit tangible for individual stores.
Incentives and recognition also play a role. Setting achievable targets, celebrating progress and giving store managers visibility of results helped sustain focus on loyalty. Store events for members were mentioned as a simple but effective way of connecting the dots between sign-ups and increased customer spend.
The discussion underlined that retail engagement cannot be assumed. It requires education, proof points and consistent reinforcement. When loyalty is understood as a tool to grow store revenue, not just a CRM programme, frontline teams become active partners in driving personalisation.
6. Targeting and efficiency
Once the basics are in place, the question becomes how to make personalisation work harder without inflating cost or complexity. The panel highlighted several approaches that are helping teams target more effectively and operate with greater efficiency.
Dynamic content within trade emails was one of the most practical examples. By creating templates that populate with next-best-category or browsing-based recommendations, brands can keep volume high while adding meaningful relevance. Testing these approaches against static versions provided clear evidence of uplift in both engagement and conversion.
Predictive modelling was also emphasised as a way to protect budgets. By anticipating which customers are most likely to respond, marketers can reduce audience sizes without losing revenue. This targeting discipline not only improves return on investment but also helps ease internal trade pressures by proving that fewer, better-targeted sends can achieve more.
The group cautioned against assuming that greater sophistication is always better. Personalisation that feels intrusive, or that oversteps customer expectations, risks damaging trust. The principle was simple: relevance should add clarity and value, not confusion or discomfort.
7. AI in the CRM workflow
The panel agreed that AI is beginning to make its mark in CRM, but its role today is more about efficiency than creativity. Used well, AI can free teams from repetitive tasks and give them more time to focus on strategic decisions.
Practical applications are already visible. Assistants can help generate campaign ideas, size audiences, build lookalike models and provide reminders about essentials such as setting up control groups. Some panellists described using AI-driven recommendations to speed up the process of testing and refining campaigns, turning tasks that once took days into conversations completed in minutes.
However, the discussion made clear that governance is critical. AI solutions cannot be treated as a black box. Teams must be able to explain outputs, maintain control over data inputs and ensure that human oversight remains central. Without these guardrails, there is a risk of errors, inconsistency and a loss of trust both inside the business and with customers.
The consensus was that AI should be treated as a co-pilot, not a replacement. Its value lies in accelerating the mechanics of CRM, surfacing insights, streamlining workflows and supporting decisions, while leaving judgement, creativity and accountability firmly with marketers.
The question for teams now is how to balance automation with accountability, and how to embed these tools without losing sight of customer expectations.
Strategic takeaways
The London panel reinforced a point that has run through every discussion in this series. Personalisation works, customers want it, and the commercial upside is clear. Yet progress remains uneven because many organisations are still wrestling with the same barriers: data quality, organisational buy-in, resource constraints and the need to prove impact quickly.
The advice from practitioners was pragmatic. Start with solid foundations and be ruthless about data confidence. Build trust through transparency and by showing the value of data exchange in simple, tangible ways. Make the case in commercial language, demonstrating missed revenue as well as incremental gains. Bring the wider business with you, especially retail teams, by linking loyalty and personalisation directly to their objectives. Test and learn continuously, using predictive models and dynamic content to improve efficiency. And treat AI as an enabler that can remove friction from workflows rather than as a silver bullet.
The clear message was that personalisation does not fail because of a lack of ambition. It fails when execution is piecemeal, when trust is not prioritised, and when internal advocacy is weak. Teams that can align strategy, culture and capability will be best placed to turn the long-discussed promise of personalisation into lasting customer value.
The forthcoming Plinc report, The Personalisation Payoff, will expand further on these themes, offering a customer view of where expectations are rising fastest and where brands risk falling behind.
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