A newly released global survey by Storyblok, the content management system (CMS) company, reveals consumers' purchase behaviour and their trust issues with certain digital channels during this festive season.
The survey featured 1,000 consumers and discovered a majority (43%) value a brand's website more than its mobile application (34%) or social media platforms (16%), with only 7% selecting email as the most valuable marketing channel. This clearly puts websites above apps and social media in consumers' consideration during buying processes.
The importance of mobile-optimised web experiences also came into focus, as 70% of shoppers use smartphones as their primary device for online shopping. Hence, businesses relying solely on apps could miss tapping into this large segment of mobile web users.
Despite advances in technology, e-commerce businesses aren't doing enough to improve their websites. Earlier Storyblok data had revealed that these businesses are losing billions in revenue as 60% of online consumers abandon purchases due to an unsatisfying website user experience. In fact, 48% of businesses admitted embarrassment over their own websites.
The survey also highlighted that consumers don't trust Artificial Intelligence (AI) to aid in their purchasing decisions, with 85% showing no interest in using AI. They also reject AI recommendations when doing their shopping; 60% said AI recommendations wouldn't make them more likely to buy and 17% stated it would possibly deter them from making a purchase.
Influencer marketing too does not seem to be very effective; 57% of consumers confirmed that a celebrity or influencer endorsement wouldn't make them more likely to purchase a product, whereas 24% claimed it could result in them being less likely to buy.
Interestingly, content plays a crucial role in brand loyalty as 90% of participants said content produced by brands is vital in shaping their perception of the brand and products. A mere 5% said they are more likely to buy from new brands over those they trust, showing the significance of brand loyalty.
Commenting on the survey results, Dominik Angerer, CEO and Co-Founder of Storyblok, said, "It's easy for brands to fall into the trap of chasing the latest trends instead of giving people what they actually want. As these survey results show, consumers have authentic content and useful websites on their wish list this holiday season."
Storyblok is focused on empowering both developers and marketing teams to create better content experiences across any digital channel. Storyblok's headless CMS architecture enables developers to build anything, publish everywhere, and integrate with any service or technology.
Marketing teams can create and scale content experiences independently using a visual editing interface, collaborative tools, and custom publishing workflows, the company states. Additionally, businesses can improve digital experiences everywhere with best-in-class performance, personalisation, and optimised, omnichannel storytelling.