But what does this mean for brands? How can they maintain their relevance in an increasingly automated world?

Here are four ways to reimagine your brand with the power of automation, while maintaining an empathetic approach to your consumers who made the brand what it is today.

  1. Automate tedious actions and focus on meaningful activities

Automation empowers companies to unleash their full potential by liberating them from tedious and repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus on the creative and strategic aspects of their business.

For instance, Nike leverages automation to design and produce bespoke shoes for its customers, delivering them a tailor-made and captivating experience. The famous sports brand offers a co-creation service called Nike By You that allows customers to customise their shoes. The service is available for both men’s and women’s shoes. Customers can choose from a variety of styles, colours, and materials to create their own unique design.

Another example is Netflix. According to Statista, Netflix's number of subscribers reached 232.5 million worldwide in the first quarter of 2023. The streaming giant harnesses automation to improve its user experience and efficiency. By using a data pipeline asset management system, the company automates data quality checks and lineage tracking. Netflix also employs auto-diagnosis and remediation techniques to detect and resolve issues in its data platform.

  1. Align marketing, sales, and customer success teams around your brand.

Automation cannot work in isolation; it requires collaboration and coordination across different functions and departments. Brands need to align their marketing, sales, and success teams to ensure a consistent and seamless customer journey. The misalignment can result in products that miss the objectives holistically.

HubSpot, a software company, shows a remarkable, agile, and effective approach to lead generation. It uses automation to streamline the handover of leads from marketing to sales, and to follow up with customers after they complete a high-intent action.

Another example is Salesforce that uses automation to provide proactive support and guidance to its users, based on their feedback. Embedding artificial intelligence into its Service Cloud product to analyze data in real-time, the enterprise software company helps to accelerate customer service.

  1. Elevate your customer relationship management with automation

A customer relationship management (CRM) system is a vital tool for brands to manage their customer interactions and data. Automation can help brands enhance their CRM capabilities by enabling them to collect, analyse, and act on customer data more efficiently and effectively.

An example of leveraging automation to enhance customer experience is an omnichannel approach to handling customer queries by Zappos, an online retailer. Zappos customer loyalty team members answer 80% of inbound customer calls within 20 seconds. Whether it is through email, phone, chat, or social media, the company strives to ensure that every customer receives a timely and personalised response though their automation system.

Another case of a smart application of automation to CRM management comes from Starbucks. A customer loyalty program by Starbucks has already became a textbook example for marketers and brand managers. Starbucks leverages sophisticated automation to gather and categorise rich data of its customer loyalty program members based on their tastes and loyalty levels. Whether it is a customised drink order, a tailored reward offering, or a free birthday treat, Starbucks delivers exceptional service that delights and satisfies their consumers' refined taste.

  1. Personalize your communication and product offerings

Personalisation is a powerful way to foster a lasting bond of trust and loyalty with customers who seek more than just a transactional relationship. The rapid transformation of the digital landscape has not gone unnoticed by consumer brands and eCommerce retailers. They have swiftly adapted to the new realities and expectations of their clientele.

Sephora started to harness the power of automation by crafting beauty profiles for its customers. By analysing their skin type, tone, and preferences, Sephora offers them a curated selection of products that suit their individual needs and tastes. With 250 brands and over 78,000 products to choose from, Sephora helps its customers discover their true beauty potential.

One of the competitive advantages of Amazon is the use of automation to create personalised offers and discounts for its customers, based on their purchase history and browsing behaviour. The company has developed recommender systems at scale for more than two decades, providing customers with tailored suggestions from product discovery to checkout.

According to research by Epsilon, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalised experiences. The research by Accenture indicated that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that recognise, remember, and provide relevant recommendations. Therefore, Amazon's automation technology not only boosts its revenue, but also enhances its customer loyalty and retention.

These examples show how automating repetitive actions and focusing on more impactful steps, companies can power their marketing strategy with technology. By using intelligent tools and data-driven insights, they can create personalised and relevant interactions that meet the needs and expectations of their consumers. This way, they can build trust and long-term relationships with their consumers, and ultimately streamline business growth.

Svetlana Stotskaya is a marketing and brand strategist.