Global research among 4,000 consumers reveals the state of digital happiness around the world, warning brands that customer “satisfaction” is no longer good enough

Despite customer experience being the key battleground for brands, new research from experience analytics company Contentsquare shows only 15% of consumers are happy with their online shopping experiences.

The research, which surveyed 4,000 consumers and over 500 marketers across the UK, US, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, exposes the areas of digital experience where brands are bringing — or failing to bring — happiness to their customers, and aims to prepare brands for the next generation of online experiences.

It reveals that the top three causes of customer unhappiness when shopping online are when a site uses pop-ups and adverts (49%), when a site or app crashes during checkout (48%) and when a discount code doesn’t work at checkout (45%).

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Other elements of online shopping that make people unhappy include when a website or app goes offline (23%), and when a customer can’t find what they’re looking for (42%).

The research shows that for almost a third, online shopping is associated with boredom, frustration and even anxiety. Of all the respondents, 30% reported feeling merely “content” with their digital shopping experience.

With 37% of respondents saying they will avoid physical stores this holiday, the report highlights the need for brands to realize that the battleground is now fully digital and they can no longer rely on footfall to drive sales. Instead, Contentsquare suggests that 2021 will be the time for brands to get serious about making online experiences just as good as (or better than) those in-store.

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Commenting on the findings, Jonathan Cherki, CEO at Contentsquare said: “The end goal of any great digital experience should be to ensure customers leave your app, site or online store happier than when they arrived. The days of talking about customer ‘satisfaction’ or judging success based on NPS scores are over. Now, as encounters in the physical space become more distanced and remote, brands must endeavour to make more meaningful, emotional connections with their customers.

“In 2021, digital happiness will be a major part of this effort, with brands working hard to create experiences which don’t just leave customers satisfied, but genuinely bring them joy. At Contentsquare, we want to support brands in this effort, providing a benchmark for success along with clear, objective metrics for customer happiness online.

“The need to build positive experience is also being accelerated in 2021, with Google launching a new ranking algorithm designed to judge web pages based on user experiences. It will score a webpage on a number of areas of a site’s pages, including load time, interactivity, and the stability of content as it loads.”

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