Cisco report uncovers UK consumers' escalating digital demands

In its 2023 App Attention Index report, Cisco AppDynamics revealed major trends in consumer attitudes, behaviours, and expectations towards applications and digital services. The global survey includes insights from 2,000 UK consumers and highlights the escalating demands of UK consumers for a flawless digital experience.

Key findings from the UK data include:

• 49% of UK consumers feel disrespected by brands whose applications do not meet their expectations.
• 72% of UK consumers have stopped using or deleted applications due to performance issues in the last 12 months.
• 71% of UK consumers are eager to eliminate application clutter.
• 56% of UK consumers aim to control or limit the number of applications they use.
• 51% of UK consumers have deleted more applications than they have installed in the last 12 months.

Also, the report identifies a new user group labelled The Application Generation, typically aged 18-34, who use 41 different applications and digital services each month (as opposed to 30 for those aged 35 and above) and are acutely discerning about the quality of applications with 77% being more mindful about the applications they install on their devices.

The study elucidates that consumer expectations for digital experiences are soaring, with 60% of UK consumers stating that their expectations are significantly higher now than they were two years ago. Moreover, 62% of UK consumers claim they now expect an exceptional digital experience as standard. However, 88% reported experiencing performance issues when using applications in the past 12 months.

The research highlighted that consumer expectations remain unmet, as many as 88% of respondents experienced inadequate performance when using applications over the past 12 months. Furthermore, 49% of UK consumers indicate feeling disrespected by brands with subpar applications, 65% are less forgiving of brands when glitches occur, and 72% have ceased using or deleted applications because of inferior performance over the last 12 months.

UK consumers are becoming extraordinarily selective about the applications they use, striving to control or limit the number of applications they use. Furthermore, 71% are eager to eliminate application clutter, 56% aim to control the number of applications they use, and 51% have deleted more applications than they have installed in the last year.

According to Ronak Desai, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Full-Stack Observability and AppDynamics, "It's a critical time for brands to invest in your application experience, or risk losing customers. Good performance is no longer sufficient; consumers expect only the highest quality from their applications, and any single issue could severely impact a company's reputation and revenue."

'The Application Generation', a newly identified consumer cohort aged 18-34, use applications like never before. This group used them to navigate the pandemic and today rely on apps to live in a hybrid world. On average, consumers under 35 years of age use 41 different applications each month, in contrast to 30 used by those aged 35 and above. This emerging group of consumers reports being weary of poor digital experiences and is quick to disregard applications that do not meet their expectations, posing a potential threat to application owners.