Study: Swiss customers and their expectations are a digital challenge
Whether they're comparing health insurance costs, shopping for Christmas gifts, studying together, or watching their favorite TV shows online, Swiss people have the highest expectations for digital services in Europe.
In contrast to their neighbors in Germany, France or Italy, they already want ever faster access to information and online services at any time and any place. This is shown by the global study "Information Generation: Transforming the Future, Today" by EMC, which surveyed 3,600 executives in 18 countries.
For Swiss consumers, fast Internet access is an absolute priority. In fact, 71 percent of respondents in Switzerland say customers want faster access, compared with just 47 percent in Germany and 51 percent in Italy. Furthermore, the days of standardized online services and products are definitely numbered: 61 percent of Swiss executives confirm that personalized customer experiences are rapidly gaining in importance. In Germany, just under two-fifths (37 percent) and in Italy slightly less than half (45 percent) are of this opinion.
The progress of new technologies is also having an impact on how consumers access the Internet: 77 percent of executives say that Swiss customers want access to digital services via different devices. In France, 32 percent and in Germany 44 percent make this claim. At the same time, according to the respondents, 65 percent of the Swiss want to surf without interruption, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. By contrast, only 45 percent of Italian and 47 percent of German consumers insist on permanent Internet access.
About the study
The Institute for the Future developed the survey to identify and predict the requirements and changes in the new digital world. The survey was conducted by Vanson Bourne on behalf of EMC. It surveyed 3,600 executives in 18 countries across eight major industries. Half of the respondents (1,800) work in companies with 250 to 1,000 employees, while the other half (1,800) work in companies with more than 1,000 employees. The survey was conducted online from November 20, 2014, to January 15, 2015, and has a margin of error of 1.7 percent. The questionnaire is based on in-depth interviews and workshops conducted by the Institute with more than 40 influential decision-makers worldwide and with experts from numerous industries, academics, non-profit organizations and think-tank leaders.
