Multichannel data utilization is marketers' greatest challenge, cited by almost 30 percent of respondents to a recent survey of marketers attending the Alterian Annual Summit, held in Chicago in August, reports MarketingCharts.

The survey examined marketers' most pressing challenges on four fronts - database marketing, digital marketing, operational marketing, and customer experience marketing.

Among the findings:

• In addition to the 29 percent citing multi-channel data utilization, some 24 percent said their biggest hurdle was "closing the loop on campaigns by merging response and transactional data."
• Together, these two groups - comprising nearly 53 percent of all surveyed - said they have data available, but do not know what to do with it.
• Moreover, though marketing has evolved, organizationally it is still siloed: In 33 percent of companies, separate teams continue to execute email and direct mail campaigns independently.

• When asked about their greatest overall challenge to developing more powerful relationships with consumers, 60 percent cited organizational structure and financial resources.