Trust has never been as important as it is today
Sustainably satisfied customers are the key to a brand's success. A convincing customer experience is of central importance here - and more important than ever before. Alexander Handcock from Selligent uses the "Global Connected Consumer Index" study to show what is particularly important to consumers in terms of their interaction with companies in the digital environment - and what should be taken into account.
The fact that customers today expect a seamless CX across all touchpoints is nothing new. However, the demands in terms of personalization and customer service are becoming ever higher. 59% of German consumers surveyed in the study stated that a personalized shopping experience is important or very important to them. In principle, more than half (54%) of those surveyed are prepared to provide companies with the necessary data. However, the issue of data protection plays a decisive role here: 67% of respondents state that the protection of their data is more important to them than a personalized customer experience.
Consumers are becoming more cautious
The resulting equation is simple: without data protection there is no data and without data there is no personalized marketing. Anyone who shares their personal data anywhere on the Internet today must fear that it will fall into unauthorized hands in the event of a data breach. Numerous media reports have sensitized consumers to this issue. Selligent's consumer study, for example, shows that 45% of respondents have reduced their social media activities for data protection reasons, while a quarter have now completely given up Facebook, Instagram and the like.
Skepticism with regard to speech recognition
The ambivalent relationship between consumers and the topics of CX and data protection is currently particularly evident in connection with voice assistants, which are now found in many German households and are becoming increasingly important as a marketing channel: 41% of respondents use a voice assistant such as Google Home, Siri or Alexa, while 48% fear that the devices are listening in without their consent.
In any case, voice assistants as a channel for marketing messages should still be treated with caution at the moment: 61 percent of German consumers find it creepy to receive personalized offers from their device based on previous search queries.
Important insights for marketers
For companies, the "Global Connected Consumer Index" ultimately reveals that almost all consumers want a personalized customer experience, but are only willing to provide the necessary data under certain circumstances. The keyword is trust. Customers want to know that their personal data is in safe hands while enjoying the best possible customer experience.
* Alexander Handcock is Senior Global Marketing Director at Selligent Marketing Cloud.
