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Customer communications are evolving quickly, but not chaotically. Across our newly released 2025 research covering business senders of transactional communications, direct marketing teams, and consumers themselves, a consistent picture is emerging: Organizations are modernizing, consumers are becoming more discerning, and the balance between digital and print is stabilizing into something far more strategic than the “digital takeover” predictions of the past.
Below are the early signals that matter and why they should shape how organizations build their communication strategies for the coming year.
Modernization Without the Drama
Across industries, organizations expect their transactional communication budgets to rise modestly over the next two years. The signal is clear: Investment continues, but it’s measured carefully. What organizations are prioritizing—automation, workflow efficiency, personalization, stronger data practices—shows they are improving their communication ecosystems step by step rather than through dramatic reinvention.
Despite steady progress, most organizations still describe themselves as only partially modernized. Integrations are inconsistent. Data is connected in some areas but fragmented in others. Personalization works well on certain journeys and not at all in others. The result is a landscape where modernization is happening, but not uniformly—and this inconsistency directly affects how customers experience communications. It also places growing importance on understanding what customers value.
Consumers Want Clarity, Not Complexity
From email and print to SMS, mobile apps, web portals, and automated assistants, consumers increasingly navigate a multi-channel communication environment. This diversity influences their expectations in meaningful ways. Across our consumer research, one theme stands out above the rest: clarity consistently wins. People want straightforward language, clean layouts, easy-to-spot next steps, and a clear sense of what communication means and what (if anything) they need to do.
Just as notable is the role of print. Rather than fading into the background, printed communications remain a preferred option for record-keeping, sensitive information, financial matters, and official documentation. Trust plays a significant part in this preference. Print still conveys seriousness and permanence in ways that digital sometimes does not. Digital, however, is indispensable—particularly for quick updates, reminders, confirmations, and alerts. Apps and portals are no longer optional for many consumers; they are expected parts of account management and information retrieval.
Taken together, these behaviors reveal a simple truth: Consumers aren’t rejecting digital and they aren’t clinging to print. They are choosing the channel that fits the moment, and they expect organizations to adapt accordingly.
AI Is Welcome…but Only When It Works
Unlike in marketing communications where generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been embraced for creative lift, AI in transactional communications is under much sharper scrutiny. People notice when an interaction is automated, and their evaluation is direct: accuracy matters more than speed. Consumers report appreciating fast answers, automated confirmations, and well-timed alerts as long as the information is correct. When an AI-enabled interaction feels generic, incomplete, or inaccurate, trust declines quickly. The tolerance for mistakes is low.
Organizations, for their part, are exploring AI for workflow improvements, routing, and content generation, but both sides are aligned on one requirement: the underlying data, rules, and content must be strong before AI enters the picture. AI does not mask weak communication systems; it exposes them.
Print and Digital Are No Longer Opposites
A key takeaway across industries is that print and digital are (not surprisingly) coexisting more intentionally than ever. Today, nearly nine in ten organizations deliver transactional communications through a combination of print and digital. Over the next two years, digital-only delivery is expected to rise slightly, while print-only delivery will increase in a few compliance-heavy sectors.
This does not signal a decline in print. Rather, print is becoming more specific in purpose—to be used for high-value, high-trust, or regulatory communications. Digital continues to expand in areas where immediacy and convenience matter. The trend points toward channel orchestration, not channel elimination.
What These Trends Signal for 2025
Based on the collective research, three forces are likely to define customer communication strategy in the coming year:
These forces suggest a future where communication strategy depends less on channel decisions and more on reliability, accuracy, and coordination.
Keypoint Intelligence Opinion
Customer communication is changing in ways that are subtle, but meaningful. The research shows that customers want clear information, seamless experiences, and communication that meets them in the right place at the right time. Organizations want to modernize, but face uneven systems, aging workflows, and a rising expectation to personalize responsibly.
The opportunity ahead lies between these two realities. The organizations that succeed in 2025 will be the ones that modernize steadily, strengthen their data foundations, and approach communication as an ecosystem—not a set of disconnected channels.
Stay ahead in the ever-evolving print industry by browsing our Industry Reports page for the latest insights. Log in to the InfoCenter to view research and studies on related topics through our Advisory Services. Not a subscriber? Contact us for more information.