The report, The Age of Now, also found that, despite nearly 60% of UK organisations believing that real time customer engagement can deliver an increase in revenue of between 10-40%, brands are collecting less than a third of relevant personal data on their customers, and only a quarter ( 26%) of organisations have ‘extremely detailed’ audience segmentations. 

Despite this, said the report, media and entertainment companies are most likely to be able to communicate via multiple channels based on real-time information ‘in a joined-up way’ using basic demographics ( 60%), information on lifestyle and culture ( 67%) and details on what individuals’ friends and relatives like or dislike ( 80%). 

The report also revealed that 25% of organisations are planning to adopt artificial intelligence technologies in the next two years. 

“The Age of Now is dividing consumer-facing organisations," said Tiffany Carpenter, head of customer intelligence at SAS UK & Ireland.

"There is a small segment of organisations leading the charge to capture the imagination and needs of consumers. But most organisations are struggling to embrace real time. As consumers become ever more demanding of personalised experiences, organisations must bridge the gap by truly harnessing real-time customer engagement strategies. The strive for real-time communication is really focused on delivering at the right time.”