The Struggle between Human-centredness and Intelligent Technologies: a Critical Discussion on the Use of Customer Data in Marketing Practice - A Survey Analysis of the RIR Clusters in Veneto

Abstract

The thesis deals with a sort of historical overview of the personalization paradigm, highlighting how marketers have changed their approach to markets and consumers over time; technological innovation is treated as the main lever sparking this evolution. Considerations start from mass customization as a first signal of an increased interest in consumers as individuals, who cannot be completely fulfilled with a one-size-fits-all approach; innovations in manufacturing processes and product platforms favour the implementation of mass customization in design, production, and marketing phases. The rising importance of individualization and customer centricity leads to the emergence of collaborative relationships with customers, acknowledging their proactive role in value generation; early versions of the World Wide Web and social networks represent the background to approaches like open innovation and co-creation. A growing awareness of the meaningfulness of personalization brings about an emphasis on the human dimensions of customers and consumers, and empathy, paving the way for the design-thinking school. In the final stage, the analysis arrives to modern days, where personalization and customer experience appear to be the main concerns of companies in every industry worldwide: data-driven technologies, particularly Big Data, provide the necessary capabilities and resources to leverage the huge potential of the Internet and social networks. Here, the aim is to understand whether such sophisticated technologies are used in the best interest of consumer society, or whether they represent a means towards customer manipulation. A practical investigation (survey) on Venetian SMEs has been conducted to provide evidence of current trends.