Survey: Millennials don't mind if retailers track their purchases

Millennials are on board with personalized marketing.



While security may be a concern with older shoppers, 70% of millennials are comfortable with retailers tracking their purchasing and browsing behaviors if it means they’ll receive more relevant communications, according to a report from SmarterHQ, a multichannel behavioral marketing platform.



The report noted that many retailers have shifted their omnichannel marketing efforts to focus heavily on the online shopper, especially for the younger, more tech-savvy millennials. But one of its findings is that 50% of millennials actually prefer shopping in-store – meaning some retailers may be missing the mark in engaging this 80 million strong demographic.



“While we’re seeing much more mobile traffic than we ever have in previous years, especially with the younger buyer, our survey found that brick-and-mortar is alive and well with millennials, and the need for a strong, well-executed and cohesive omnichannel presence beyond online is key when capturing millennial spend,” said Michael Osborne, CEO of SmarterHQ.



Key survey findings retailers and marketers should keep in mind when targeting millennials include:



Don’t bombard millennials with marketing tactics: 74% of millennials said they are frustrated with too many marketing communications, and the majority prefer one to three marketing emails per month. Quality not quantity – with relevant content – will make those emails truly count.



Brand loyalty is limited: Only 6.5% of millennials respondents considered themselves brand loyal, however, those who prefer personalized communications have a 28% higher brand loyalty than those who do not.



Personalized emails trump batch and blast: 70% of millennials are frustrated by brands sending irrelevant emails, and prefer to receive personalized emails offering certain info like sale notifications for previously carted items, sale notifications for previously browsed items or categories, and recommended products based on their interests.