CleverTap study predicts key trends for customer engagement in 2025

CleverTap, a digital marketing platform specializing in user retention and engagement, has just published a report on the five main trends that will define the marketing and customer engagement market in 2025. The material offers insights into the strategies that companies must adopt next year to succeed in business.

Once celebrated, Generative AI (GenAI) has seen the excitement around it wane in just one year.Having this, here are some of the top customer engagement and retention trends that are sure to impact during 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 queries as the primary form of interaction with brands. By 2025, this move will consolidate even further, moving from click-and-touch (push)- driven interactions to dynamic experiences, based on conversational prompts and driven by GenAI (pull). Despite the reduction in the number of touchpoints for marketers, the quality of interactions will be more important as companies learn to optimize them. GenAI will continue to effectively increase efficiency and improve the way they get more.

• Personalization versus privacy: Balancing the approach

Personalization is essential for marketers. However, for today's customers, hyperpersonalization only works when it is contextual and transparent. Thus, marketers will need to adopt an approach that prioritizes privacy when creating meaningful experiences. Investing in mechanisms for first-party and zero-part data collection will be critical. By prioritizing transparency and protecting user data, businesses will be able to strengthen customer trust and loyalty.

• Martech Evolution: From a fixed stack of technology to a living cartography

The Martech scenario is changing rapidly 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 “cartography alive” a promising solution. This approach imagines a dynamic and interconnected ecosystem, in which the tools adapt and evolve in real time.For marketers, this means greater agility to meet the growing demands of customers.

• 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 responses, promoting smarter interactions. Companies will invest in this type of functionality to analyze feelings in real time, customize recommendations and offer multilingual support 24/7. In addition, we will see AI profiles referring to marketers for activities such as customer support and sales. These so-called” “copilotos 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. Hence, companies are recognizing the value of consumer loyalty, replacing the “growth mindset at any cost” by focusing on retention. In addition to hyper-personalization, brands will continue to innovate in their loyalty programs and incentives to meet expectations.

Anand Jain, co-founder and chief product officer of CleverTap, comments:

“A AI promise in marketing will truly come to life in 2025, moving from a mere disruptor to a trusted enabler, driving authentic, customer-driven engagement.As brands tackle this new paradigm, success will depend on genuine connections and the balance between personalization and privacy, while staying adaptable to customer demands. At CleverTap, we remain committed to guiding companies through these transformations, helping them advance their capabilities and build lasting, meaningful relationships with their customers.”

Click here to download the report: The Customer Engagement Crystal Ball: Top Trends to Watch Out for in 2025.