Inside the Personalisation Payoff Report: What Customers Really Value in 2025

That reality sits at the heart of The Personalisation Payoff Report. This new research from Plinc and Savanta, presented by Stuart Russell, Chief Strategy Officer at Plinc, examines personalisation from the customer’s perspective. It explores what consumers really think, what they respond to, and how brands can close the gap between intention and impact.

Watch the Webinar

Watch the full Personalisation Payoff Report webinar below to hear Stuart Russell present the latest findings.

Why Personalisation Still Matters

Personalisation remains one of the most reliable ways to improve marketing performance. Across Plinc’s client work, it continues to deliver clear and measurable results: a 20% uplift in email revenue through predictive models, a 30% increase in channel engagement when communications are tailored to customer interests, and a 40% rise in repeat players through personalised loyalty programmes.

The challenge is consistency. Research from the Retail Hive found that only 10% of CRM leaders believe they are truly excelling at personalisation. For the rest, it remains an ambition that is difficult to scale.

As Stuart explained during the session, “Personalisation works, but only if it’s built on the right focus and the right foundations.”

The problem is not belief in its value, but the practical realities of delivering it well.

The Reality Check: What Customers Are Experiencing

The research paints a clear picture. Customers are receiving more marketing than ever before, but the quality of what lands in their inbox is often missing the mark.

• 88% of respondents recalled receiving email marketing.
• 59% said email is their preferred channel for brand communication.
• 59% also believe they receive more marketing emails than a year ago.

It is not that customers dislike marketing. They simply have less patience for messages that waste their attention.

• 77% said they only engage with marketing that feels relevant to them.
• 60% expect emails to be highly personalised, given the amount of data brands now collect.

As Stuart noted, “If the inbox is where the pressure shows up first, it is also where the cracks appear most clearly. Customers can see when volume is replacing value.”

The Engagement Hierarchy: What Works and What Doesn’t

The study tested several types of marketing emails, from basic newsletters to hyper-personalised communications, to see what consumers respond to most.

At the top were milestone moment emails such as birthday or anniversary messages, and targeted offers that deliver direct value. Both types create a clear sense of personal relevance.

Close behind were hyper-personalised emails. These are sophisticated messages shaped by individual behaviours, preferences and recent activity. They consistently ranked third for engagement, brand perception and how well customers felt understood.

At the bottom were generic brand bulletins, the standard newsletters that fill inboxes but rarely earn attention.

Stuart summed up the challenge: “The onus is on us to move those brand bulletins into hyper-personalised hits. That is where the real opportunity lies.”

It is not a question of sending more. It is a question of using the data, tools and insight already available to deliver communication that feels distinctive, timely and relevant.

The Trust Equation

Trust emerged as a defining factor in how customers experience personalisation. While consumers are willing to share data in exchange for a better experience, they are increasingly aware of how that data is used.

• 71% said they are more comfortable when a brand explains what data it collects.
• 73% said they want to understand how that data is stored.
• 72% said they prefer to set their own data usage preferences.

Customers are not rejecting data-driven marketing. They simply want to understand it. Transparency, clarity and control have become key ingredients in building long-term trust.

For brands, this means that personalisation and privacy are no longer separate conversations. As personalisation becomes more intelligent and more automated, explainability and openness will be essential to maintaining confidence.

Closing the Gap: What Brands Need to Fix

If personalisation works, and customers are asking for it, why do so many brands still struggle to deliver?

The research identifies four internal barriers that most organisations recognise:

1. Data foundations – fragmented or incomplete customer data that limits relevance.
2. Process – a lack of coordination between insight and execution.
3. Mandate – insufficient leadership focus or strategic clarity.
4. Resources and capability – teams under pressure to do more with limited time and tools.

Each issue is manageable, but together they create inertia. Plinc’s view is that progress depends on aligning the right people, process and technology so that personalisation can scale with purpose.

That means focusing on quality over quantity, and on impact rather than output. The most effective CRM programmes are those that deliver value for both sides of the exchange: meaningful communication for the customer, and measurable performance for the brand.

The Takeaway: Better, Not More

The findings from The Personalisation Payoff Report are clear. Customers are open to personalisation. They expect it. But they only reward brands that do it well.

Personalisation is not just a tactic for short-term engagement. It is a marker of brand credibility and trust. Done thoughtfully, it shows customers that a brand values their time and data. Done poorly, it risks eroding both.

As Stuart concluded in the webinar, “Consumers are seeing more marketing, but they want better marketing. Brands that get this balance right will future-proof their customer relationships.”

At Plinc, we believe that better marketing comes from smarter strategy and simpler execution. When teams can act on insight quickly and confidently, personalisation stops being a challenge and starts becoming a competitive advantage.

Explore the Full Report

You can access The Personalisation Payoff Report now to explore the complete findings, including sector breakdowns and recommendations for CRM leaders.
Download the full report →

Thank you to everyone who joined us live. For those who couldn’t attend, we hope this recap gives you a taste of the actionable insights we covered.