Nearly half of Australians (48 per cent) now purchase indiscriminately online, saying they “don’t care” where they buy from “as long as it works”. That’s according to new research from FullStory, a player in Digital Experience Intelligence (DXI).
The new research examines the state of digital experiences across multiple industries around the world, incorporating data from over 7000 consumers across Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, UK, USA, and The Netherlands.
The demand is not exclusive to Australia, with 40 per cent of those in the US, 46 per cent in Indonesia and 48 per cent of those in Germany saying that they don’t care where they buy from, “as long as it works”. According to FullStory’s analysis, this represents a major shift in global consumer browsing patterns, with customer loyalty taking a back seat in exchange for simple, effective experiences that deliver.
This change in consumer demands is consistent with trends seen across the marketing and digital customer experience (CX) space, with recent research also showing that 42 per cent of marketers believe that customer loyalty will drop in 2023 because of changing consumer expectations and cost of living concerns.
This shift was also reflected when consumers were asked about their experience expectations, with 82 per cent saying that the ability to “quickly accomplish” what they set out to do was the most important factor in ensuring a great digital experience — making it the number one priority for Australians in 2023. This demand for frictionless digital experiences and journeys increased rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to be the digital experience expectation moving into the next phase of digital across APAC.
The global study revealed that consumers are looking for simple, reliable digital experiences across all of their digital transactions — not just in eCommerce.
Unfortunately, many sectors are still failing to hit these fundamentals:
- Groceries — Only 40 per cent of global consumers describe the experience they receive on grocery sites and apps as “simple”
- Finance — Only 40 per cent of global consumers describe the experience they receive on financial sites and apps as “simple”
- Utilities — Only 38 per cent of global consumers describe the experience they receive on utility sites and apps as “simple”
- Travel — Only 36 per cent of global consumers describe the experience they receive on travel sites and apps as “simple”
The most common frustrations highlighted by these global consumers include slow loading times (72 per cent) and loading errors (63 per cent). Despite these issues, FullStory’s research also reveals that more than half of all consumers will not report issues when they occur.
Commenting on the findings, Monica Acree, FullStory’s vice president of APAC sales, said: “The fact that customers are becoming less loyal may surprise many marketers, but in the current climate, people are on the hunt for simple, functional experiences that just work.
“With economic uncertainty ahead, it’s essential for brands to provide high-quality and value-driven digital interactions that make it easy for customers to complete their tasks. In this macroeconomic environment digital customer experiences are the new competitive battleground and the margins are in the moments.
“Data-driven insights are crucial to understanding and meeting customer needs and minimising the risk that they will turn to competitors that offer more seamless digital offerings,” Acree said.
