Just a quarter of Singapore consumers are happy with their digital brand experience – less than half as many as Southeast Asia overall, according to new research by SAP Singapore.
In the inaugural SAP Digital Experience Report, 32 per cent of respondents were unsatisfied with their digital experience, while 43 per cent were categorised as ambivalent, giving an overall digital experience (DX) score of -7 per cent.
More than 500 consumers were surveyed for the report, which aggregated more than 1300 ratings of digital engagements with local brands. In the survey, the digital experience is defined as how a brand digitally interacts with its customers during the discovery, purchase, delivery and support of a product or service.
Consumers rated brands on their ability to deliver on 14 key attributes of the digital experience, ranging from aspects such as security and availability to more emotional factors such as interactivity and engagement.
Business implications
Singapore’s poor DX score indicates a significant gap in performance among industries and individual brands, says the report. This has serious implications for business outcomes, it says, particularly for metrics around customer loyalty and advocacy.
A strong correlation between digital experience performance and consumers’ willingness to disclose personal information was also uncovered by the study. It found that happy consumers were nearly eight times more likely to provide brands with personal data than those who were unsatisfied.
Safety and security is a top priority for consumers in Singapore, with 55 per cent of respondents rating this either nine or 10 on a scale from 0 to 10. Also important is the availability of digital experiences any time, and the option to receive relevant offers without having to give up privacy.
“Singapore is already ahead of the curve in building the world’s first smart nation, so customers in Singapore are highly sophisticated in their digital demands,” says SAP Singapore MD Darren Rushworth.
“Brands can bridge the digital experience gap they have with their consumers by adopting a clear digital strategy that brings together marketing, sales, services and commerce to ensure a seamless customer experience.”
Other markets
The company’s survey also covered Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, reflecting the preferences of more than 3600 consumers who rated 240-plus brands. Altogether, 9375 digital interactions against 14 attributes were covered.
Across Southeast Asia, nearly 60 per cent of respondents rated safety and security as their top concern in digital engagement, followed by 49 per cent wanting to be able to engage at any time, and 46 per cent wanting a cohesive, integrated and simple experience.
Not quite half (47 per cent) said they were happy with their digital experience and 20 per cent were not satisfied, giving a digital experience score of 27 per cent.
