Travel brands could be made to pay for not running a consistent user experience across multiple devices.
Insights gleaned from a new study into the demands of holiday shoppers indicate that companies with an online presence would be wise to check that every touchpoint for their customers is validated for consistency.
The proportion of holidaymakers expecting a seamless crossover between channels and devices is at 90%, according to a consumer survey from experience management firm SDL, which represents a 17% increase on last year.
Brands have recently been forced to bolster their service options as additional platforms such as apps, mobile sites and social media pages enter the fore.
List of demands
Holiday shoppers are known for skipping between online and offline stores in search of the perfect deal. Unfortunately the current standard of experience they are subjected to is not up to scratch. A total of 47% declare frustration that some of the impressions they get from a brand in-store is not being matched online.
On the flipside, SDL found that 40% are reporting a disconnect between the amount of insight they gain online compared to in-store – highlighting the ever-present need for quality customer service.
With a consistent, predictable service standing atop of the list of holiday shopper demands, SDL CEO and founder, Mark Lancaster, said brands need to be able to cater for customers wherever they are.
“A consistent, superior experience across all interaction channels has become something that customers not only expect, but they demand it; and the brands that can best meet this demand will build customer relationships that continue long after the holiday season.”
The rewards from providing as much could even carry impact on the bottom-line, as 66% of consumers claimed they would pay premium rates for a quality customer experience.
Issues with online
Other readings from SDL’s survey of 3,000 prospective holidaymakers uncovered some of the known bugbears customers have when shopping online.
The inability to buy an item that is being advertised generated its fair share of disgruntled consumers, with out-of-stock products being cited by 60% for their top three e-commerce frustrations.
A lack of information was chosen by 52% with a discrepancy between online and offline experiences being selected by 47%. Despite this, 32% of consumers still chose a retailer’s website as their go-to point for product research, slightly behind search engines (46%) and physical stores (63%).