CleverTap, a digital marketing platform specializing in user retention and engagement, has just published a report on the five main trends that could shape the customer marketing and engagement market in 2025. The material offers insights into the strategies that companies should adopt in the coming year to succeed in business.
Once celebrated, Generative AI (GenAI) saw the excitement around it diminish in just one year. Here are some of the main customer engagement and retention trends that will surely have an impact in 2025:
- From “push” to “pull”: The wave of interactions driven by GenAI
With the mass adoption of GenAI in 2024, communication has become customer-led. Industries have witnessed a shift, with consumers using consultations as the primary form of interaction with brands. In 2025, this movement will become even more consolidated, shifting from click- and touch-driven interactions (push) to dynamic experiences based on conversational prompts and powered by GenAI (pull). Despite the reduction in the number of contact points for marketing professionals, the quality of interactions will become more important as companies learn to optimize them. GenAI will continue to increase efficiency, enabling brands to obtain real-time insights and feedback, making improvements more effective and faster.
- Personalization vs. Privacy: Balancing the Approach
Customization is essential for marketing professionals. However, for today's customers, hyper-personalization only works when it is contextual and transparent. Thus, marketing professionals will need to adopt an approach that prioritizes privacy when creating meaningful experiences. Investing in mechanisms for first-party and zero-party data collection will be essential. By prioritizing transparency and protecting user data, companies can strengthen customer trust and loyalty.
- Martech Evolution: From a Fixed Technology Stack to a Living Cartography
The Martech landscape is rapidly changing to meet new demands, but many companies still operate with fragmented technologies, composed of isolated tools. This creates challenges, as the failure of an effective solution can cause a domino effect throughout the system. The concept of "living cartography" emerges as a promising solution. This approach envisions a dynamic and interconnected ecosystem, where tools adapt and evolve in real time. For marketing professionals, this means greater agility to meet the growing demands of clients.
- The Rise of AI Agents
AI agents represent the next evolution in this scenario and are expected to grow significantly in 2025. They go beyond basic answers, promoting smarter interactions. Companies will invest in this type of functionality to analyze real-time sentiments, personalize recommendations, and provide 24/7 multilingual support. Additionally, we will review AI profiles related to marketing professionals for activities such as customer support and sales. These so-called "co-pilots" will give companies a competitive advantage by automating tasks and optimizing workflows.
- Focus on retention rather than acquisition
The current economic and geopolitical situation, along with changes in customer priorities, has made acquiring new users more expensive and challenging. Therefore, companies are recognizing the value of customer loyalty, replacing the "growth at any cost" mindset with a focus on retention. Beyond hyper-personalization, brands will continue to innovate in their loyalty and incentive programs to meet expectations.
Anand Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at CleverTap, comments:
“The promise of AI in marketing will truly come to life by 2025, transforming from a mere disruptor to a trusted enabler that drives authentic, customer-driven engagement. As brands navigate this new paradigm, success will depend on genuine connections and balancing personalization with privacy, while remaining adaptable to customer demands. At CleverTap, we remain committed to guiding businesses through these transformations, helping them advance their capabilities and build lasting, meaningful relationships with their customers.”
Click hereto download the report: The Customer Engagement Crystal Ball: Top Trends to Watch Out for in 2025.
