Leveraging Generative AI to Build Personalized Customer Journey Mapping

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Marketing teams are leveraging generative AI (GenAI) to better understand their customers, create personalized content and improve workflows. Integrated alongside traditional marketing automation platforms, these GenAI tools allow marketers to develop unique marketing strategies, synthesize customer journeys and optimize results. How can marketing teams who aren’t using GenAI leverage the tool, and what applications does synthetic marketing data have in the development of customer journey mapping?

One minute insights:

  • Brain connections iconOver half of marketers report their organization is currently using GenAI in their content creation and visual content creation process
  • Graph chart up icon arrowThe vast majority of marketers report GenAI has improved their workflow efficiency since adoption
  • Agreement page pencil iconThe vast majority of marketers report GenAI has improved their workflow efficiency since adoption
  • Rotating ball world arrow circle iconMarketers report their organizations are using synthetic data to complement existing customer data, and in some cases, fully drive strategy development

Marketing teams are embracing GenAI tools like ChatGPT to create content and enhance marketing personalization, and nearly all report improvements to workflow eiciency since adoption

55% of marketers say their organization’s adoption of GenAI can best be described as partially integrated across selected marketing functions. An additional 33% say their organization has fully integrated GenAI across all marketing functions.

Which of the following best describes your organization’s adoption of generative AI (GenAI) across marketing?

Half circle chart: Which of the following best describes your organization’s adoption of generative AI (GenAI) across marketing?

We have not adopted GenAI, but we are considering it 0% | We have not adopted GenAI, and are not considering it 0%

n = 100

When identifying the marketing workflows where their organizations are currently leveraging GenAI, over half of marketers selected content creation (65%), marketing material personalization (55%), visual content creation (53%) and campaign strategy development (51%).

In what marketing workflows is your organization currently leveraging GenAI? Select all that apply.

Bar chart: In what marketing workflows is your organization currently leveraging GenAI? Select all that apply.

n = 100

Data analysis 46% | Audience segmentation 39% | Predictive analysis for campaigns 36% | A/B experimentation 35% | Customer engagement (e.g., chatbots) 34% | SEO/keyword optimization 31% | Customer journey mapping 14%

81% of marketers report their organization is currently using GPT models (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, etc.). The second most commonly selected GenAI tool is AI chatbots, reported by 58% of marketers.

What GenAI tools are your organization currently using? Select all that apply.

Bar chart: What GenAI tools are your organization currently using?

n = 100

Automated multichannel marketing hub 31% | Speech recognition and analysis platforms 28% | AI-powered data analytics platforms 26% | Dynamic ad creation tools 20% | Not sure 0%

Just 1% of marketing professionals report their team’s workflows have been complicated by the introduction of GenAI tools. 98% of marketers report significant or moderate improvement to workflow eiciency.

How have your marketing team’s workflows evolved since the introduction of GenAI tools?

Donut chart: How have your marketing team’s workflows evolved since the introduction of GenAI tools?

Significant workflow complication 0%

n = 100

Question: Do you have any vendor recommendations or specific tools you'd like to share?

Using AI writing assistants like Jasper, Jarvis, and Sudowrite can help generate initial drafts of content like social media posts, ads, website copy etc. Still requires human review but can accelerate content creation.

Director, arts, entertainment & recreation industry, <1,000 employees

Adobe's integrated AI capabilities are promising across content, segmentation etc. Chatgpt is good for content writing but I sometimes doubt the authenticity. Microsoft is good for large data modelling

VP, professional services industry, 10,000+ employees

Marketers are leaning on GenAI for personalization of content, and most say the technology is already fully or partially integrated with their existing marketing automation platforms

Bubble chart: How is your organization leveraging GenAI for customer personalization? Select all that apply.

Predictive personalization (52%) and real-time personalized content recommendations (51%) are the most commonly selected ways marketers report their organizations are leveraging GenAI for customer personalization.

How is your organization leveraging GenAI for customer personalization? Select all that apply.

Behavior-based product offerings 33% | Location-based personalization 30% | Dynamic pricing 25% | We are not leveraging GenAI for customer personalization 6%

n = 100

A quarter of marketers (25%) report their organization’s existing marketing automation platform is fully integrated with GenAI tools. Just 1% of marketers report their marketing automation platforms are not integrated with GenAI tools, and they don’t plan to.

How integrated are GenAI tools with your organization’s existing marketing automation platforms?

Pie chart: How integrated are GenAI tools with your organization’s existing marketing automation platforms?

We do not use marketing automation platforms 0%

n = 100

Question: In your opinion, how do you think GenAI will impact customer personalization strategy on your marketing teams over the next 12 months?

Over the next 12 months, GenAI will profoundly reshape our customer personalization strategy. By harnessing AI's insights into Generation Z and Alpha preferences, we'll gain deeper customer insights and predict trends with precision. Real-time personalization, AI-generated content, and chatbots will elevate our customer interactions. Embracing ethical considerations, agile strategies, and continuous learning will be crucial. This evolution emphasizes human-AI collaboration, empowering us to craft hyper-personalized campaigns that resonate with these generations, fostering stronger connections and setting new industry standards.

Director, arts, entertainment & recreation industry, <1,000 employees

Content can be personalized easily and rolled out to different targets. This allows us to improve the efficiency of our content creators significantly. For me as head of the marketing and retail sales department it is very easy to overview the performance of my teams because AI helps me to get structured data.

VP, utilities industry, 1,000 - 5,000 employees

Over half of marketers report their organization is using synthetic data to compliment and explore new marketing strategies

Gauges: Does your organization use synthetic marketing data to envision potential future customer journeys?

55% of marketers report their organization uses synthetic marketing data to envision potential future customer journeys.

Does your organization use synthetic marketing data to envision potential future customer journeys? Define synthetic marketing data as artificially-generated data simulating real customer behaviors and interactions.

n = 100

Among marketers whose organization is using synthetic data to envision potential future customer journeys (n = 55), just under half (40%) report their organization currently uses synthetic data to complement their real customer data. An additional 31% say that synthetic data is a primary source for strategy development at their organization.

What best explains your organization’s current use of synthetic marketing data?

Half circle chart: What best explains your organization’s current use of synthetic marketing data?

n = 55

Note: May not add up to 100% due to rounding

Question shown only to respondents who answered ‘Yes’ to the question, “Does your organization use synthetic marketing data to envision potential future customer journeys? Define synthetic marketing data as artificially-generated data simulating real customer behaviors and interactions.

Question: How does your organization use synthetic marketing data to identify and test new marketing approaches?

We use synthetic data to evaluate the effectiveness of new marketing approaches while safeguarding customer information.

Director, telecommunications industry, 10,000+ employees

Synthetic marketing data helps [us] to create new segments. But these are tried in pilots and [we] check feedback on smaller scales. Once results are seen these are tried on other samples and feedback collated. Real data is also aligned and evaluated before reaching out to final outcomes for customer product strategy.

Director, telecommunications industry, 10,000+ employees

When asked what role GenAI will play in the future of customer journey mapping at their organizations, most respondents (39%) say GenAI is a valuable tool, but not the most important. A quarter (25%) say GenAI is central to their organization’s strategy, and 3% say they are skeptical of the long-term use case of GenAI.

How would you describe the role of GenAI in shaping the future of customer journey mapping at your organization?

Donut chart: How would you describe the role of GenAI in shaping the future of customer journey mapping at your organization?

My organization doesn’t use GenAI for shaping customer journey mapping 0%

n = 100

Question: In your opinion, how do you think GenAI will impact customer personalization strategy on your marketing teams over the next 12 months?

GenAI has the potential to completely change our customer personalization strategy thanks to its capabilities.

Director, retail industry 10,000+ employees
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Respondent Breakdown

Map: Respondent breakdown