RMIT University has launched a Marketing Technology Lab offering hands-on experience with emerging technologies while examining how businesses can balance personalised customer experiences with rising expectations around data privacy.
Built as organisations increasingly deploy AI and customer data to personalise interactions, the lab supports teaching, applied research and industry engagement, giving students and partners access to a simulated retail store, integrated software stack, analytics zones and tools spanning CRM, MarTech and AI-enabled platforms. It builds on RMIT’s Marketing Technology major, billed as the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jason Pallant, founding director of the lab, said the facility aims to prepare graduates to understand both the capabilities and responsibilities tied to emerging technology, with a strong focus on privacy-first marketing that treats personalisation and privacy as complementary, not conflicting.
Shane Duggan, Senior Industry Fellow at RMIT, said the lab lets marketers explore responsible data and AI use without compromising personalised experiences.
The launch also responds to a wider skills gap, RMIT cited research showing only 28% of businesses have adequate in-house MarTech capabilities, while 74% report a critical shortage. The lab positions privacy, personalisation and consumer trust as interconnected pillars of modern MarTech education.
