Following in the footsteps of its Australian counterpart, SAP New Zealand has released its inaugural New Zealand Digital Experience Report, which assessed over 6500 digital interactions.
The report revealed that 37 per cent of NZ consumers are unsatisfied with their digital experiences, with 31 per cent of respondents saying they were delighted with the digital experiences provided.
The report assessed eight industries, with banking coming in as the top performer, closely followed by insurance, registering a positive digital experience score, with more delighted than unsatisfied customers. Retail groceries was next best-performing, while telecommunications, consumer goods retail and government were the three lowest scoring sectors. New Zealand did, however, perform best amongst the mature markets of the Asia-Pacific region.
At the individual brand level, 13 of the 38 organisations delivered positive digital experience scores. The banking industry was again the clear leader in this area, providing four of these brands, and Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) leading the pack.
“For many digital banking has become an arms race to be the first to market with the latest new widget, which is why it’s great that SAP have taken the time to understand the impact that poor quality digital experiences can have,” says BNZ head of digital Stephen Bowe. “At BNZ we strive to put the customer at the core of everything we do. We’re focused on creating highly personalised, engaging banking experiences that put our customers in control and help them to be good with money.”
AA Insurance was the top performer in insurance, while Netflix scored both highest in its media and entertainment sector, and in fact across all industries. The utilities sector, by contrast, clearly has work to do, with no brand receiving a positive digital experience score.
As in the recent Australian survey, ‘safe and secure’ was by far the most important digital experience attribute for consumers, with 72 per cent ranking it as important for a delightful digital experience. This was followed by ‘anytime on my terms’ (42 per cent), and ‘cohesive, integrated and simple’ (42 per cent).
However, high-performing brands also scored significantly higher on more emotional attributes such as ‘predicts my preferences’ and ‘excites and engages me’.
“These findings demonstrate the strong connection between the digital experience and business outcomes in New Zealand,” said Graeme Riley, managing director, SAP New Zealand. “The vast differences between consumer loyalty, advocacy, and willingness to share personal information highlights the urgency with which the country’s brands must prioritise improving the digital experiences they deliver for their customers, and demonstrates the rewards available to those that do.”
Consumers’ responses also had a significant impact on their loyalty. New Zealanders delighted with their digital experience are over four and a half times more likely to remain loyal to a brand than unsatisfied consumers. Only 17 per cent of consumers unsatisfied with their digital experience with a company would remain loyal. Delighted consumers were also more likely to share private data, with 40 per cent saying they would disclose their buying preferences (compared with 13 per cent of unsatisfied consumers), 28 per cent their social media usage (8 per cent of those unsatisfied), 25 per cent their health records (4 per cent), and 21 per cent their web browsing history (4 per cent).
“With SAP’s New Zealand Digital Experience Report, we’re offering a framework to help organisations measure and manage their digital experience performance from their customers’ perspective. Whilst these frameworks might differ by industry, the central component will always be the customer. Brands that perform best in this new digital marketplace are those that unite their people and processes on a single system to deliver on their customers’ ever increasing demands,” said Riley.
To download SAP’s New Zealand Digital Experience Report visit www.sap.com/australia/nzdxr.
