A poor digital experience is losing customers for businesses that fail to invest, according to research from Actual Experience.
With digital content now key in terms of digital marketing strategies a failure to deliver such content in a quality manner will lose customers. Actual Experience’s report shows that nearly 80% of business leaders have admitted switching to a competitor and aborting shopping online because of a poor digital experience.
Customer churn is seen as the number one fallout for more than half (55%) as a result of customers having a negative experience on digital platforms.
Businesses lagging behind
Yet more than half of business leaders don’t know how to deliver digital excellence despite the shift to digital dominance, according to the research. This is even though the majority (89%) said that consistent digital experience quality was crucial to company success over the next two years.
The study showed that 55% of businesses couldn’t identify the issues that affect the quality of their digital experience, with more than a third (34%) not knowing how to develop a strategy to address it.
It seems the urgency is there with 79% of respondents claiming to understand the fundamental importance for their customers to be satisfied with the quality of their digital offerings.
The research, which surveyed business leaders in the UK, USA, Canada and Ireland, showed that respondents felt there were a number of barriers to improving the digital experience.
These included identifying the specific quality issues that need improving for nearly half (49%), cost for 43% and knowing where to start in terms of developing a strategy for improvement for more than a third (34%).
Not all bad news
However some businesses are starting to tackle the problem with just over half (51%) saying that they were already investing in the quality of the digital experience and 57% refocusing investments and resources on data and analytics that will ultimately lead to an improvement in both marketing strategies and the digital experience
“Companies need to invest in digital – it’s can’t be seen as a cost,” said Dave Page, CEO of Actual Experience. “Digital today is about the brand and putting as much care and attention into the digital supply chain as in the physical,” said Page. And this means a focus on just how well a business works online.
“If the internet is letting your digital product down it’s reckless not to do something about it as a business leader and it’s reckless to shrug your shoulders over digital quality,” he said.
