In a market where each click leaves a mark and each user hopes to be treated as unique, brands face a growing paradox: the tools to customize are more refined than ever, but the distrust of the consumer threatens to deactivate its benefits. This is revealed by the new Twilio report, “State of Customer Engagement 2025”, which has taken the pulse of more than 7,600 consumers and 600 business leaders from 18 countries.
Artificial intelligence is promoting clear financial returns. 75% of the companies surveyed recognize that their customization efforts have increased consumer spending. In addition, 96% ensure that AI improves key areas such as marketing and customer service. However, the emotional bond with users does not seem to run the same fate: only 45% of consumers feel that brands really understand them, a figure even lower than the previous year.
«The AI has opened the door to customer experiences than ever, but technology alone is not the solution. To truly connect with customers, organizations must gain their trust, respect their preferences and offer them human experiences in real time, ”warns Chis Koehler, Chief Marketing Officer of Twilio.
An increasingly demanding consumer (and skeptical)
The report highlights an obvious disconnection between what companies believe they know about their customers and what they perceive. While 83% of professionals claim to understand their audience, 71% of consumers leave the purchase process if the experience is not relevant to them. And beyond frustration, suspicion appears: 61% distrust the use that brands make of their data, and more than half ensures tired of constant discourse on artificial intelligence.
71% of consumers abandon irrelevant experiences: brands that personalize in real time and prioritize transparency conquer hearts, trust and income
Despite this, there is a door ajar to trust. 90% of users trust at least some brands, although only 15% do it “absolutely.” The rest demands conditions: 84% want to control customization configuration and 54% claim to know if they are talking with a bot or a person.
The keys to success: real time, transparency and intelligent decisions
One of the clearest axes in the report is the value of immediacy. 88% of consumers are more willing to buy when the experience is personalized in real time, although only 44% of brands claim to have reached that capacity. This is where the gap between leaders and lagging is outlined.
Organizations that are best responding to the challenge share three pillars: better data, greater transparency and their own tools. In fact, 96% plan to develop custom client experience solutions, moving away from generic technologies. And looking around 2025, three out of four companies already plan to adopt RCS (Rich Communication Services) to enrich their conversations with customers.
