New digital index aims to identify consumer perceptions of online marketing

A new global digital satisfaction index designed to help marketers better understand consumer perceptions of online marketing has been launched.

The new Intent Lab Digital Satisfaction Index (DSI) stems from a research partnership struck between Publicis-owned performance marketing agency, Performics, and Northwestern University Medill School of Journalist, Media and Integrated Marketing. The partnership is focused on how brand connections are perceived and discovering the thought patterns taking place when a consumer is making a decision to engage with or abandon a brand.

The duo hope to make the new scoring system an industry standard and plan on publishing it as a global measure of consumer attitudes on a quarterly basis, starting from July this year. The first will focus on the US and UK markets, but an Australian market release is expected next year.

The DSI has delved into a range of key factors driving consumer digital satisfaction and come up with a list that forms the basis of its 100-point scoring system: Trust, and credibility of information presented online; utility, such as the usefulness of a website or app to users; social, and the extent to which users value their social interactions online; and privacy. The report also states additional factors were evaluated during the process, including entertainment, information, personalisation and recommendation.

“We built the Intent Lab because we firmly believe intent is the single-most important marketing variable, shaping the way we deliver results for our clients,” said CEO of Performics Worldwide, Michael Kahn.

“The Intent Lab’s Digital Satisfaction Index is a new industry standard, illuminating game-changing insight into online user perceptions. This knowledge will arm brands with the ability to harness the power of marketing in a post-digital world.”

In its first US scoring program dated Q3, 2016, the pair recorded a DSI score of 58.4 overall. Although utility was given a score of 77, which indicated users were relatively satisfied with the usefulness of websites and apps, and social chalked up a score of 61.3, users were clearly dissatisfied with privacy and trust, which gained significant lower ratings at 34.2 and 52.6, respectively.

In comparison, Performics said UK consumers were more satisfied as a whole about digital experiences and the overall score was 65.6. This was mainly because of a higher privacy score of 42.2. In addition, it found UK consumers weight utility as a much influential factor on their perception of brands than the US.

Digital satisfaction was found to be the lowest amongst younger UK consumers aged between 18 and 24 years old (57.1, versus a score of 61 from baby boomers).

The report also broke down scores into several key industry sectors including retail and financial services. Retail satisfaction overall was 57.3 in the US and 67.3 in the UK, while for financial services, overall scores were 61 in the US and 65.3 in the UK.

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