Customizing content based on user preferences is a core tenant of marketing in the digital era. Today, Adobe Systems Inc. debuted new features for its Marketing Cloud aimed at enabling companies to deliver personalization via the new engagement channels that have emerged in recent years.

At the top of provider’s checklist are smart speakers. The reasons why Adobe is prioritizing the technology are laid out in a study that it presented alongside the new features.

According to the report, 32 percent of U.S. consumers have a smart speaker and the same percentage of nonowners plan to buy one. Adobe is expanding two of the services in Marketing Cloud to address this growth. The first is the Adobe Target content testing service, which companies can now use to experiment with different strategies for targeting consumers via their smart speakers.

The second service being updated is Adobe Analytics. New features enable marketers to segment the consumers they engage via voice content into audiences and compare campaign performance with data from other channels. Furthermore, Adobe said that a built-in artificial intelligence highlights the factors that contributes to notable events such as sales increases.

Alongside the voice-focused features, the company announced an experimental tool that targets another emerging engagement channel: augmented reality. Retailers are using AR apps to let users virtually try out certain items such as clothing and furniture before they purchase. The experimental tool will use a phone’s front-facing camera to gauge if a consumer is interested in an item based on their facial expressions.

Like many of the other capabilities in the update, the technology is powered by AI. Also in this group is a new feature dubbed Auto-Target that’s rolling out for Adobe Target, the content testing services. It analyzes the different data points associated with a customer to determine which factor should be prioritized when generating shopping recommendations.

Rounding out the update is a pair of improvements to the Adobe Experience Manager content management system. A new AI feature promises to help marketers customize their company’s website layout for different audiences, while an improved recommendation engine can optimize shopping suggestions.

Photo: Adobe