IT pushing for greater collaboration on digital strategies, while marketing expects IT to solve its complex challenges

New research report from EPiServer reveals disconnect between perceived value of marketing and IT partnership

LONDON, 31 January 2014: The majority of UK marketing and IT professionals (70%) are working together on digital strategies, but there is a clear disconnect between marketing and IT on the value of collaboration and the roles within their relationship, reveals new research from EPiServer, a digital marketing and ecommerce software provider.

The study, involving over 200 UK-based marketing and IT decision makers, reveals 79% of IT professionals believe they work collaboratively with marketing, but only 58% of marketers agree.

There is an evident appetite from IT to unite with marketing colleagues to influence web strategies and digital growth, but marketers are keen to retain ownership of areas such as mobile strategies, ecommerce platforms and marketing automation.

However, there is one clear area where the desire for collaboration from both marketing and IT professionals is high – achieving an overarching goal of delivering improved customer experience through data strategy.

The findings of the study are presented in a new report: ‘How customer experience management is changing marketing and IT dynamics’, which explores the relationship between marketing and IT and the increasing role of data in shaping the customer experience.

Other key findings from the report include:

• Marketing and IT agree that shaping customer experience is the most important area for collaboration, with 71% of marketing professionals and 57% of IT believing both roles should have influence
• 39% of marketing professionals have no access to basic customer data, such as demographics, purchase history or behavioural
• IT professionals are struggling with data strategy, with a third agreeing that they know the data they need but have not been able to implement it into business operations
• Cost, security and integration are the biggest challenges facing IT for data strategies

Maria Wasing, VP of Global Marketing, EPiServer, commented, “As marketing becomes increasingly focussed on improving the customer experience, the role of data and technology becomes more important within the discipline. It’s a driving force behind how the relationship between marketing and IT is changing, as the roles of CMO and CIO become almost intertwined.

“The way marketers build, access and use data is creating new ways of working for today’s marketing teams. As the owners and those with the skills to manage data, IT is showing a clear desire to collaborate with their marketing colleagues, but there is a disparity in the perception of the value of this critical relationship. By being adaptable, aligned from the top and creating a mutual digital roadmap, marketing and IT will be equipped to manage the change.”

The full report, Marketing and IT in Customer Experience Management is available to download here – http://www.episerver.com/marketingIT.

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Notes to editors
Research based on an independent survey of 100 marketing decision makers and 110 IT decision makers, conducted by Vision Critical.

About EPiServer
EPiServer connects e-commerce and digital marketing to help business create unique customer experiences which generates business results. EPiServer’s platform combines content, e-commerce and multi-channel marketing capabilities to work full-circle for businesses online, from intelligent optimization, lead-generation through to conversion and repeat business.

Sitting at the centre of the digital marketing ecosystem, EPiServer empowers online and IT professionals to create superior customer experience for more than 20,000 websites worldwide. Built on .NET, and supported by a pioneering partner network of over 690 partners in over 30 countries, EPiServer’s platform gives customers the ability to deliver the right content to the right person in the right format at a time that suits them. This approach means customers can maximize their investment in digital marketing and increase ROI.

The company was founded in 1994 and has offices in the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Spain, UAE and the United Kingdom. EPiServer is controlled by the IK2007 Fund. IK Investment Partners is a European private equity firm with Nordic roots, managing €5.7 billion in fund commitments.

Media contacts:
Ian McKee / Katia Bouznik
EML Wildfire
episerver@emlwildfire.com
020 8408 8000

Source: RealWire