How do people feel about the consumer experience in 2020? And by that, we mean during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides heightened shopping anxiety, what else should marketers keep in mind? In this article, we view the consumer experience quite broadly.
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A Survey on the Consumer Experience in 2020
Merkle Inc. is a global data-driven, technology-enabled performance marketing agency. During July 2020, it conducted research on the consumer experience. To access the free full report, click here.
Based on answers from roughly 1,000 U.S. respondents, these are a few conclusions from the report:
“The Merkle Research and Strategy team did a deep dive into the general population’s perceptions of personalization and privacy to better understand how brands should portray authenticity and respect. They found that, overall, respondents were willing to share some data with brands in exchange for personalization and that a brand’s authenticity relied on its actions, rather than any statement they could make. Significant findings included:”
In addition:
“Younger people and women were more on-board with the idea of personalization. And they felt like it helped to enrich their online experiences.”
“However, brands must create a gentle balance enabling relevant personalization. In addition, they must avoid tactics seen as too invasive. Respondents value the ability to recognize what personal data are used by the brands they patronize. As well as where that data come from. This makes them keen to take a short demographic survey. Or to have past purchase information leveraged to enable personalization.”
“For brands to feel more authentic, they should avoid empty statements. And show they take tangible actions in response to crises and social issues. They also need to make customers feel heard and that feedback is reflected in future actions.”
“There remain opportunities to enhance the customer experience through research and customer insight gathering. Because many people still felt under-represented in marketing or by brands.”