Digital retailers across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region are offering shoppers a strong online user experience (UX), scoring 61% globally – second only to the UK (65%), according to recent data from leading omnichannel marketing automation platform, dotdigital.
However, while UX performed well, online retailers still need to improve their omnichannel marketing capabilities to capitalise on increased ecommerce revenues.
Research in the Hitting the Mark report has shown that while brands in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore are tapping into customers’ demands for easily accessible communication, they are missing the mark when it comes to basics for data use, personalisation, and integrated marketing communications.
Customer data fuels customer experience (CX) online, with demand for personalisation in online shopping journeys rising 123% in the last six months.
However, of the 100 global brands featured in the report, APAC scored the lowest when it came to clear data consent criteria. Retailers need to make their Terms of Use and privacy policies more obvious at the point of subscription because if a subscriber is well informed at the point of sign-up, they’re less likely to unsubscribe in the future.
Eight in ten (80%) of retailers in the region surveyed sent new customers a welcome email, but just 29% of brands optimised their welcome program, missing opportunities to gather further customer information to power personalisation in future communications.
Brands in APAC are still over-reliant on email to reach customers, with just 10% of businesses adopting SMS as a communication channel, with similarly low uptake of push notifications.
While globally 71% of brands have bots or dedicated customer service teams manning social media channels, providing an ‘always on’ service for customer queries, these channels were not widely adopted or utilised to their full potential in APAC.
dotdigital head of marketing for Asia Pacific, Aparna Gray said while it’s great to see APAC brands making significant progress in improving customer experience, they aren’t setting the bar high enough for a customer-centric strategy.
“The ultimate customer experience – the one that exceeds customers’ expectations and drives sales – is created when brands combine customer data with omnichannel journeys and user experiences. Brands are working hard to gain customer confidence and acquire data, but they’re stumbling at the final hurdle. Data drives relevancy which improves experience and keeps shoppers engaged. Retailers need to review their marketing operations to ensure they aren’t missing out on potential revenue in a market that is rapidly accelerating as a result of Covid-19.”