UAE consumers claim brands have one shot to impress them

Consumer dependence on apps and digital services has increased since the start of the covid-19 pandemic and customers today have a zero-tolerance for bad application experience.

According to the global study in Cisco AppDynamics’ App Attention Index research series, which studied the digital behaviors of over 13,000 consumers, the application and brand Is blamed regardless of where a performance issue originates.

A total of 91 per cent of UAE consumers say their expectations of digital services have increased since the start of 2020 and when the brands do not meet the expectations, 74 per cent of consumers will automatically blame the application and the brand no matter where the issue actually lives. Whether it’s within the application itself — such as pages loading slowly, downtime, or security failures; or external factors like internet connectivity, slow payment gateways or technical issues with third party services — to the consumer there is no distinction, and they will now place responsibility firmly on the brand.

Out of 69 per cent of people surveyed in the UAE, believe it’s the responsibility of the brand to ensure that the digital service or application works perfectly.

The research found that the majority of UAE consumers believe that the digital services have become a critical part of daily life, with 98 per cent stating they helped them get through the pandemic in a positive way. Additionally, UAE consumers are now loyal to brands based on how significantly they invested in digital services during the pandemic.

75 per cent of UAE consumers now state their expectations for digital services have changed forever and they will no longer tolerate poor performance. 73 per cent of consumers in the Emirates state that brands have one shot to impress them with their digital experiences before they switch to another provider.

Read: GCC: How can digital government services seize opportunities to accelerate trust

“Applications have become the lifeline to normality for people in every corner of the world and consumers are no longer willing to settle for anything less than a perfect digital experience. Technologists are now under more pressure than ever to deliver the ‘total application experience’ to users within their first interaction.” said Linda Tong, vice president and general manager of Cisco AppDynamics.

82 per cent of UAE consumers stated that even as life returns to normal, they know they will continue to rely on the digital services they utilised during the pandemic. This means the pressure technologists are under to tackle the complexities of modern architectures in order to deliver flawless digital experiences isn’t going away.

Inspired by broad impactful possibilities in a new connected world, recent events have witnessed GCC governments pursue comprehensive and accelerated strategies geared toward digital transformation. As the influence and impact of emerging technologies continue to unfold, the need to remain at the forefront of change is becoming ever more apparent – decisive action without deviation a topmost priority. Government leaders have acknowledged this imperative, expanding the scope and capabilities of their respective digital services.