Data protection and response times key to APAC consumers says SAP Hybris survey
Asia Pacific consumers are picky about the way brands use their data and response times according to a SAP Hybris Consumer Insight survey.
Data protection and response times key to APAC consumers says SAP Hybris survey
The research included responses from 7,000 consumers across APAC and uncovered their preferences when engaging with brands.
According to the study, 78% of consumers in APAC will not purchase a brand again if their data was used without their knowledge. This contrasts against APAC consumers’ willingness (82%) to share some personal data with brands, with Japan (52%) an exception.
APAC consumers are most comfortable with sharing email addresses (58%), shopping history and preferences (49%), and mobile numbers (36%). As brands harness the data proffered, 67% of APAC consumers expect brands to protect their interest when using their personal data, provide transparency in data usage (52%) as well as ensure customer privacy in the event of criminal investigations (47%).
“Accounting for half of the world’s total 3.6 billion internet users, APAC is fast becoming the center of digital innovation for the world. APAC is also the fastest growing region, accounting for 70% of total growth in global internet users in 2016. This rapid growth of the internet, mobile phones and other digital technologies has created opportunities and challenges for millions of consumers and brands in the region,” said Nicholas Kontopoulos, global vice-president of fast growth markets marketing, SAP Hybris.
APAC consumers have also raised the bar in this connected age, with 80% expecting brands to respond within 24 hours. 52% expect brands to respond within three hours, quicker than what most deliver. Thailand and China are the most demanding, with 48% expecting a response within the hour, and 56% saying they would not use a brand again if it repeats a mistake.
“Our survey also found that the majority of respondents (61%) in the region indicated high volume and irrelevance of marketing content as the biggest annoyances. In addition to speed and timeliness, relevance and personalisation of content served to consumers have also become key measures of success for brands attempting to connect with customers,” said Kontopoulos.
More than half (58%) of APAC consumers ranked receiving surprises from brands as the top demonstration of personalised customer experience. Singapore, China and Japan ranked value-added services such as free workshops and product trials closely after, while Australia, India, Thailand and Korea value personalised responses to their queries based on the brand understanding their consumption history as second.
“Beyond simply capturing customer data, the ability to analyse, contextualise and more importantly, act on insights gathered in real-time, are key to truly impress savvy consumers today. Brands which are unable to adapt their businesses ability to meet the needs of today’s dynamic consumers are in danger of quickly becoming irrelevant,” said Kontopoulos.
The responses mimic concerns from other surveys about data privacy and importance of brands engaging their audience.