In worrying news for print, a new study by Smart Communications has revealed that 86% of consumers now say they prefer digital communications to any other channel.
The study, which took place across the UK and the USA, also found that 40% of people working in the financial services, insurance and healthcare sectors changed their preference from direct mail to digital due to Covid-19. Furthermore, 72% of businesses said they now plan to shift from print communications to digital.
‘As the business world raced to respond to a new set of needs tied to Covid-19, delivering end-to-end, digital-first customer experiences became increasingly important,’ said James Brown, CEO of Smart Communications.
‘It’s no secret that companies that prioritised digital transformation efforts aimed at improving customer conversations have a more meaningful edge today than ever before – and yet, our study uncovered several key areas that businesses must continue to focus upon in order to meet evolving consumer needs during these unprecedented circumstances.’
Other findings included 76% of people reporting they are now budgeting to make customer communications more mobile-friendly, and just shy of two thirds (65%) reporting that the pandemic led them to look for digital-first approaches they could implement quickly.
Mr Brown concluded, ‘The results of our study confirmed that consumers desire more meaningful conversations with the companies they conduct business with, and that they have strong opinions about how to make those interactions exceptional. Creating customer experiences that are personalised, timely and delivered via channels of choice, which are increasingly digital, is no longer a nice-to-have, but is critical to success.’
The survey took place across the autumn of 2020, targeting ‘nationally representative consumers’ in both America (605 respondents) and the UK (555 respondents) who use companies in at least one of the financial services, insurance or healthcare sectors.
