2024’s Breakthrough Trends for Customer Engagement

As we move through 2024, the world of customer engagement is quickly changing, shaped by new technologies and shifting consumer behaviors. From our research for this year’s Global Customer Engagement Review—which gathers insights from over a thousand marketers and billions of data points—we’ve seen three key themes emerge that we believe will define the future of customer engagement.

At this year’s Braze City x City NYC, we took a look at this year’s themes and what they mean for brands today. Join us as we dive into these insights and discuss practical strategies to boost their marketing efforts and build stronger connections with customers.

Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing Customer Engagement

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how brands interact with consumers by automating processes, enhancing personalization, and creating new, engaging digital touchpoints and experiences. This technology streamlines operations while also providing new potential for tailoring unique experiences to individual preferences and driving engagement and loyalty. It's projected that 30% of new apps will use AI to drive personalized adaptive user interfaces by 2026, up from under 5% today, indicating a major shift towards more tailored and responsive digital experiences.

AI can help brands with:

• Personalized experiences: For example, streaming apps could leverage AI to create personalized playlists, or QSR brands can create menu highlights based on customer’s favorite items.
• Virtual commerce: Already, top brands are pioneering virtual pop-ups and immersive apps, leveraging AI to integrate commerce into virtual and augmented reality seamlessly.
• Smart assistants and recommendations: Retail and eCommerce brands can use AI-driven customer service chatbots to demonstrate how AI makes consumer interactions more efficient and personalized.

Trend #2: Comprehensive Data Utilization Across Platforms

It’s important for brands to get the right data and then be able to act on it across platforms if they want to effectively tailor experiences, predict behaviors, and enhance engagement. This trend focuses on the strategic use of big data to understand and anticipate customer needs, creating marketing strategies that are both targeted and effective.

Accordingly, notable trends include:

• Emotion tracking for tailored marketing: With 29% of surveyed consumers open to this level of personalization, brands are beginning to track emotional states to support further tailoring of their marketing efforts.
• Predictive consumer behavior models: AI companions are being designed to act as “taste twins,” predicting preferences and enhancing the shopping experience by anticipating consumer needs.
• Performance metrics and user engagement: Strategically using data to analyze and optimize user engagement across various platforms helps refine marketing strategies and improve outcomes.

Trend #3: Cross-Channel Messaging to Create a Unified Brand Experience

Ensuring consistent and unified messaging across all channels is crucial for developing a resonant brand identity and customer retention. This trend emphasizes the importance of a holistic marketing approach that integrates messages across digital and physical spaces, ensuring that every consumer interaction with the brand is coherent and aligned with overarching marketing goals. We found that opportunities for conversion are not just occurring in traditional settings anymore. In fact, 43.4% of surveyed US consumers purchase products or services on social media without leaving the app, showcasing the need for integrated and cohesive experiences.

In line with that, key trends in the space include:

• Seamless integration across media: Platforms like Instagram are becoming fully integrated shopping channels, enabling purchases directly through social media posts without disrupting the user experience.
• Unified brand presence in virtual spaces: Companies are extending their brand presence into virtual spaces, ensuring that every interaction, whether in virtual or physical realms, reflects consistent brand values and messages.
• Post-purchase engagement: Focusing on the customer journey even after a purchase, brands are enhancing loyalty and satisfaction through consistent and supportive post-purchase communication across various channels.

Stepping into the Future of Customer Engagement

The shifts in customer engagement we've seen so far in 2024 challenge brands to be innovative and rethink how they connect with people. By using AI, making the most of data, and keeping messages consistent across all channels, brands can meet and even exceed what today’s consumers expect. These trends give brands a clear path to build stronger, more meaningful connections with their customers. However, the key to success isn’t just about adopting new tech; it’s about using these tools to offer truly valuable, tailored experiences that resonate at every point of contact.

Want to learn more about this year’s top trends in customer engagement? Download the 2024 Global Customer Engagement Review.