Global research reveals that product, CX teams need better ways to capture, interpret, and act on customer behavior as budgets shrink and performance targets grow

While nearly three-quarters (73%) of DX professionals say their organization has a clear, consistent strategy for digital experience, a majority still rely on guesswork and gut feeling to make critical digital decisions – and 58% believe they are lagging competitors in the use of AI in digital experience optimization. That’s according to a new report on digital expectations and realities from DX data and insights platform FullStory.

The new study of 700 global DX professionals reveals that 43% do not have a clear view of customer preferences across their websites and apps. Half of DX professionals (50%) say they have no clear view of their customers’ behavior online, while 62% don’t have visibility of customers’ attitudes and beliefs. This figure rises to 73% for those attempting to understand customer moods and mindsets.

This lack of visibility makes it difficult for companies to achieve their digital objectives and improve their customer experiences, with 81% of respondents saying they have no clear visibility of when their customers are frustrated in apps or online.

This disconnect is especially urgent as product, UX, CX, and marketing professionals find themselves in the hot seat heading into the holidays and new year. Eight in 10 survey respondents (79%) say their business targets have increased for the year ahead, even as 51% face budget cuts. As a result, 66% report that they’ll have to do more with less.

Bridge the DX data gap

The survey indicates that the biggest obstacle to customer understanding is the gap between the complete, comprehensive data that DX teams need and the data they’re able to gather. According to the study, a third (33%) say that they have no single, reliable “source of truth” to inform their strategies. And two-thirds (67%) report that they often have to re-tag their site or mobile app when new questions arise.

Data silos are adding to these challenges, with 28% agreeing that relevant team members can’t directly access the DX data they need to make decisions. Nearly a third (30%) also agree that teams end up replicating the same work without knowing it due to disjointed systems and unreliable tech.

To overcome these issues, 71% of DX professionals are investing in DX insights and analytics platforms, with 35% adopting “frustration signal analytics,” 27% investing in session replay technology, and 49% using a full-service DX analytics platform.

Commenting on the findings, FullStory CMO Lindsay Bayuk said: “Product and CX teams are under increasing pressure to deliver extraordinary experiences – effectively and efficiently. While most have clearly defined DX strategies, many still struggle to harness and use the data and insights required to bring these digital strategies to life.

“The good news is that DX pros who invest in complete data capture and actionable insights can gain a meaningful edge over their peers and the competition. The platforms that bring these data and insights together into a single source of truth are the future of this market.”

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