More than half of British shoppers don’t pay attention to the brands they are buying, provided the product meets their needs, according to new research.

The study was conducted by customer engagement platform SAP Emarsys, in association with Deloitte, and saw over 2000 UK consumers and over 100 senior marketers surveyed. It revealed 62% of Brits have swapped to own-label alternatives and that 25% of consumer product brands have well-established engagement technologies and strategies.

It also found that 67% of consumer product marketers agreed it was becoming harder to connect with customers.

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Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys, said: “UK consumers aren’t just becoming less loyal to brands, they’re ignoring them entirely. That’s a wake-up call for marketers.

“Without a strong data foundation, it’s impossible to deliver the real-time, personalised experiences needed to win that all-important ‘true’ loyalty.”

Richter cited fragrance and luxury beauty brand Molton Brown and Ferrera as “outstanding examples of brands” achieving this and “hitting their business goals, while winning the hearts and minds of customers by making every interaction count”.

Marketers are recognising the need for change, with 82% of respondents reporting they need to transform their approach to customer engagement. Additionally, 45% are prioritising introducing new channels for engagement.

However, less than half of marketers believe their businesses have the capabilities to personalise marketing content, and only 27% do so.