- Intuit Mailchimp’s latest report reveals that 74% of marketers use AI.
- Revenue leaders use generative and analytical AI to boost metrics.
Marketers are under pressure to produce immediate results with a long-term goal of fostering customer loyalty. It’s a delicate balancing act that requires more than tools, demanding a strategy rooted in adaptability and innovation. Intuit, the corporation behind popular applications such as TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Mailchimp, discusses these trends in its recent report, The Revenue Blueprint: Strategies for Performance-Obsessed Marketers.
Drawing from a survey of over 2,000 marketing leaders worldwide, the report examines how mid-market brands can adapt to the evolving digital landscape. It highlights a key insight: success isn’t just about adopting technology but embedding it into every layer of a marketing strategy to drive growth. Notably, 85% of surveyed marketers have already incorporated or want to integrate AI tools, emphasising embracing of AI solutions.
What distinguishes marketing performers?
The report categorises marketers into three groups:
- Baseline marketers: These teams rely on conventional procedures to produce results.
- Performance-obsessed marketers: Innovators who utilise advanced tools and creative approaches to excel across key metrics.
- Revenue leaders: A subset of performance-obsessed marketers that optimise resources to achieve significant growth in high-revenue organisations.
Revenue leaders in particular stand out by their ability to integrate technology in ways that enhance efficiency, deepen personalisation, and improve outcomes. Compared to their peers, these leaders are 25% more likely to use predictive analytics and AI-driven customer insights. By analysing the behaviours of these groups, the report reveals strategies for navigating a competitive environment.
Four elements of growth
Email remains important
While newer channels gain popularity, email continues to play a role for nearly two-thirds of marketers. The distinction is in its application: leading marketers use email not just for outreach, but along the entire customer journey. Strategies such as combining email with SMS improve engagement, with 87% of ‘performance-obsessed’ marketers citing email as their top channel for awareness creation. Advanced tactics, such as merging email with other platforms maximise its impact, turning it into a hub for customer engagement in several stages. Email also allows marketers to ‘own’ their audience relationships without relying on external algorithms, giving them more control over strategy.
Expanding automation
Automation is now a standard tool, but many marketers fail to unlock its full potential. Revenue leaders automate not just emails but the entire customer journey, from the first interaction to post-purchase follow-up. For example, automated reminders for abandoned carts or personalised post-purchase emails can significantly boost engagement. This comprehensive approach is associated with higher customer satisfaction and higher return on investment, demonstrating how automation is effective. Automation supports scaling, enabling organisations to manage complex, multi-channel strategies.
Personalisation from data
Data utilisation is a key differentiator. While only 39% of baseline marketers leverage customer data platforms, 64% of ‘revenue leaders’ do so. These leaders move beyond basic applications of data, using it to create personalised interactions and they apply predictive analytics to boost engagement, loyalty, and conversions. For example, combining demographics with behavioural data enables more precise targeting. As a result, their campaigns are more effective. The ability to create dynamic customer segments and respond to individual preferences increases their effectiveness.
AI as an enabler, not a tool
Although AI adoption is widespread—74% of respondents use it—their approach varies. Revenue leaders use AI strategically, blending its generative and analytical capabilities to create outcomes like higher order values and increased customer lifetime value. For these marketers, AI is not merely a tool for efficiency; it’s a “catalyst for innovation,” the report states. For instance, AI-driven predictive analytics can help marketers identify trends, optimise content timing, and personalise offers, so each interaction adds value to the customer experience.
Learning from others
“Marketers today are expected to not only deliver immediate results but also build meaningful, long-term connections with customers,” said Mark Lodwick, Director of Brand Experience at Intuit Mailchimp. “Your tools and how you deploy them can make all the difference. And marketers that lean on AI to power personalisation, optimise customer journeys, and offload basic tasks are seeing strong results.”
The report emphasises the role of technology, including AI and data platforms, in refining marketing strategies. The tools let marketers better understand customer behaviour, anticipate needs, and create personalised experiences. Leveraging such technologies is stated as “critical” for Revenue Leaders seeking to achieve growth.
As businesses continue to adapt to the complexities of today’s digital environment, The Revenue Blueprint’s insights provide an overview of how marketers respond to challenges and opportunities.
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