Marketers, we have a personalization problem. No, it’s not your vision — most of you aspire to deliver more anticipatory and individualized experiences — it’s your execution. Across industries, marketers struggle to create memorable, or even useful, moments with their customers. For example, only 5% of US consumers say that email offers are well timed with their needs. From “buy this, do that” mentalities that prioritize product over customer needs to insufficient tools and insights gaps to organizational and process roadblocks, challenges abound.

We could go on and on, but our purpose isn’t to discourage you. On the contrary, despite the myriad challenges associated with personalization, the last thing you should do is throw in the towel. Many brands will find that personalization is their key to success in the age of the customer. Done well, personalization captures customer attention and creates value for your customers, which in turn drives customer loyalty and long-term profitability. And personalization helps your organization become more customer-obsessed, which ultimately benefits your business.

The truth is, you already have the necessary foundational elements of personalization in place. All that data you’re capturing is the bedrock of personalization. Bringing that data together and refining it through analysis unearths the signals that guide personalization. The final step is of course using those insights to personalize experiences across channels using your systems of engagement. Personalization requires careful cross-channel and cross-functional collaboration.

This may all seem overwhelming, but we have good news: Forrester is here to help! Over the course of 2020, we’ll be publishing more research to help you get more personal with your customers and not just push product. And right now, we have two reports to get you started:

Stay tuned for more research on assembling a tech stack that enables personalization execution, customer data management for personalization, and other personalization best practices. 2020 is the year to be bold at work, and what better way to do that than to transform your business through personalization. Just remember . . . you’re not alone. We’re in this with you.