Report reveals which brand experiences annoy Aussie customers most

New research shows heavy handed marketing tactics and irresponsible data are among the top ways to annoy Aussie customers, so what do they really want?

Out of the 1000 Australians surveyed in the SAP Hybris Consumer Insight Survey 2017, 78 per cent said they would would never use a brand again if they misused personal data, while two-thirds (68 per cent) said they would go elsewhere after receiving unnecessary spam.

The top three brand behaviours annoying consumers are too many direct marketing and sales calls (60 per cent), too many marketing and sales emails (56 per cent) and pushing irrelevant content (49 per cent), the report found.

Meanwhile, customers expect brands to respond to queries fast and have little tolerance for slow turnarounds. The report found 91 per cent of Australians expect brands to respond to queries within 24 hours and 72 per cent of the consumers said they would go elsewhere if the brand was unresponsive.

 With international brands already renowned for speedy service, and market heavyweight Amazon arriving in Australia soon, SAP Hybris Australia and New Zealand head of business, Stuart O’Neill, said local brands must get on the front foot to stay competitive.

“Complacency is the biggest threat to Australian brands,” he said. “They must respond quickly when customers reach out to them, and do so in a consistent manner whether it’s in store, over the phone, online or via social media, A customer’s time is precious and our research shows they have a low tolerance for brands that waste it.

“This means all contact with a brand should be considered equal. Consumers see no distinction between their experiences in a dressing room, engaging with a chatbot or loading up an online cart. If any of these interactions provide a poor experience, consumers will seek a better one elsewhere.”

On the upside, over half of consumers surveyed said they like surprise discounts and freebies create the best customer experience. Appropriate responses based on previous interactions and relevant value-added services, such as free workshops, also ranked highly as positive brand experiences.

“Beyond simply capturing customer data, brands need to analyse, contextualise and act on insights in real time if they’re to truly impress today’s consumers,” O’Neill added. “Brands that fail to adapt are in danger of quickly becoming irrelevant.”

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