Nearly every retailer collects some amount of customer data. Whether it’s browsing behaviors, email engagement or purchase history, customer data can offer important insights that may dramatically improve profitability—and give it a leg up against the competition.

Greg Zakowicz, senior commerce marketing analyst, Bronto

Greg Zakowicz, senior commerce marketing analyst, Bronto

But harnessing that data and actually using the insights it provides are two different things, says Greg Zakowicz, senior commerce marketing analyst at Oracle Bronto, a provider of e-commerce marketing technology. Retailers are confident in their ability to collect customer data, but they lack confidence in how to execute on it, according to “Inside the Minds of E-commerce Execs,” a recent Bronto survey of U.S. retail executives. But the company’s recent survey of consumers confirmed that many online shoppers expect retailers to collect their data and use it to personalize their shopping experiences.

“Failing to execute on the data retailers collect can be detrimental to the success of their businesses,” Zakowicz says. “Customers expect retailers to cater…

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