Study: Marketing's influence in retail IT decisions growing sharply

Austin, Texas -- The bond is growing stronger between retailers' marketing and IT departments, and investments and activity in marketing-related IT projects are on the rise, according to a new study from EKN. More than 60% of the survey respondents indicated that the number of IT projects focused on marketing initiatives will increase in 2013 over last year.



The study, underwritten by premier sponsor CrossView and supporting sponsor Tata Consultancy Services, also revealed a greater role for marketers in the technology vendor selection process.



Other findings from the study, "Navigating the Intersection between Marketing and IT," include:

• Increasing customer loyalty and increasing customer engagement across channels are retail marketing teams' top goals in 2013, and their number one expectation from technology solutions is to deliver them deeper customer insight.

• IT solutions for retail marketing need improvement. The survey found that 61% of retailers think their technology solutions for marketing require improvement, of which 33% state they require a complete refresh and limit their marketing teams from achieving their true potential.

• Talk of crippling disconnects between marketing and IT teams are exaggerated. Periodic review meetings between retailers' marketing and IT functions are helping to improve communication. Respondents who report a "poor" alignment between these two teams state that lack of resources, communication and joint strategy are their biggest challenges.