Attentive’s Marketer Pulse: Brands That Personalize Are More Than 3X As Likely To See Messaging Performance Gains

The retail and ecommerce landscape has hit a turning point. The push to be louder, characterized by generic, high-volume batch-and-blast messaging, is officially over. Replacing it is a more disciplined approach to growth, where precision, coordination, and true personalization determine who pulls ahead.

New data from AI-powered marketing platform Attentive reveals how quickly that gap is widening between the brands that are thriving versus those struggling to keep up. Sixty-eight percent of the brands surveyed improved their messaging performance year over year, and those that personalize messages, prioritize identity resolution, coordinate communication across channels, and increase the frequency of their outreach while keeping messages relevant were more likely to see higher performance.

Personalization correlates with higher performance

The most significant differentiator for high-performing brands is a commitment to personalization.

• The personalization powerhouse: Brands that personalize are 3.5x as likely to see improved messaging performance YoY. "Personalization is no longer a 'nice-to-have' optimization. It’s the primary engine of retention," says Attentive CMO Keri McGhee. "In a world of infinite digital noise, the brands that can prove they actually know their customer by surfacing the right product at the moment of intent are the ones seeing a massive multiplier in their ROI."

• Precise, multi-faceted targeting: In 2026, personalization means leveraging behavioral triggers, advanced audience segmentation, engagement history, and AI to deliver a relevant message at the exactly right moment. For top-tier brands, personalization is the catalyst that drives revenue while simultaneously protecting margins.

• RCS converts: RCS allows brands to create app-like experiences directly within customers’ text messaging apps by integrating rich, interactive content like high-res images, product carousels, tap-to-reply buttons, and calendar functionality. RCS delivers 20% higher conversion rates and 14x lower CPCs than SMS. Forty-nine percent of brands are using or plan to use RCS in 2026.

Messaging frequency and relevance go hand in hand

One of the report’s most surprising findings is that when it comes to message frequency, more can be better, provided that the messages are relevant. Fifty-six percent of higher-performing brands increased their message frequency YoY, compared to only 23% of brands whose performance stayed flat.

• Not just more, but more intentional: The key to this increased cadence isn’t simply sending more campaigns, but boosting relevance. By using behavioral flows based on the triggers that shoppers say move them, like sale alerts, back-in-stock notifications, loyalty point reminders, and replenishment reminders, successful brands engage customers at a time when they’re likely to welcome the communication. Improving targeting and segmentation was cited as a top strategy among brands that improved performance.

• Relevance drives reception: Sixty-five percent of shoppers are actually open to receiving more frequent messages, but only if they feel tailored to their needs and interests. "Consumers aren't fatigued by messaging itself. It’s irrelevance and repetition that kills the conversation," McGhee explains. "When you shift from 'blasting' to 'conversing,' frequency becomes a service rather than an interruption."

Promotion strategies shift as brands focus on profitability

Not surprisingly, the report also lays bare the economic pressures brands are currently facing, with 93% of marketers still managing tariff-related cost increases. Eighty-nine percent say profitability is a focus within their 2026 strategy, with 54% balancing profitability and market share equally and 35% focusing on profitability and margin stability. This is prompting a shift in how they handle promotions.

• Decline of the discount: Rather than relying on the traditional "sitewide 20% off" model, more than four out of ten brands are now discounting more selectively, and 36% have reduced their overall discount frequency.

• Margin-protecting promotions: Brands are leaning into targeted offers to activate specific, low-intent segments rather than the entire list, value-add incentives like free shipping or gifts with purchase that motivate action while preserving margins, and threshold-based deals that encourage higher average order values.

Optimizing technology drives ROI

Beyond strategy, technical infrastructure is now a competitive necessity.

• The power of identity: Seventy-nine percent of brands actively investing in identity resolution report improved messaging performance YoY. Without being able to recognize the same customer across different devices and sessions, personalization becomes inaccurate and cross-channel coordination falls apart.

• The technology edge: Brands using AI for tasks like send-time optimization and automated segmentation are reporting gains in incremental revenue and time savings.

• Optimizing for chatbots: Eighty-three percent of marketers are developing AI discovery playbooks to increase the chances that their products will show up in the LLM-powered chatbot conversations that consumers are increasingly using to complete shopping-related tasks.

Action items to drive performance

Based on these findings, the roadmap for the remainder of 2026 centers on using data for more precise messaging to drive sustainable growth. Brands looking to replicate the success of the report’s YoY winners can do so by capitalizing on several actionable learnings:

• Audit behavioral flows: Most brands have the basics, but there's room to add high-intent triggers like flows for back-in-stock alerts, price drops, and loyalty milestones.

• Prioritize identity resolution: Being able to recognize a customer across devices, sessions, and channels is key to enabling a high level of personalization.

• Coordinate across channels: Ensure SMS, email, and push notifications have distinct roles in the customer journey.

• Earn 'known sender' status: With iOS 26 filtering unknown numbers, tools like Attentive’s two-tap™ technology can help brands land in the primary inbox while capturing more subscribers and delivering a seamless sign-up experience.

• Build for AI discovery: Expand product detail pages by including clear specs, detailed reviews, and FAQ content that LLMs can easily parse.

As the 2026 landscape continues to evolve, one thing is certain for marketing leaders. The brands that win will be those that treat every message not as a broadcast, but as a personalized, value-driven conversation grounded in customer behavior and crafted for an AI-driven buyer’s journey. "The winners this year are those approaching their marketing stack as a profit center rather than a megaphone," McGhee says. "It’s about using AI and identity to ensure every touchpoint adds value to the customer's day."