57% of UK consumers say digital bliss a must for festive fun

A girl using a smartphone next to a Christmas tree.

A recent survey by Cisco has highlighted the pivotal role of digital applications and services in enhancing the holiday season experience.

With a global increase in application usage anticipated, the report underscores the need for brands to ensure optimal performance of their digital services or risk dampening the festive spirit.

Many consumers also admit that a bad digital experience could threaten household harmony, while 20% fear that they will become so angry that...

8 December 2023 | Best Practice

Digital marketing skills show positive growth but sector demands outpace professional development 

Core digital skills marketers rely on have improved but that the growing demands of new and evolving technologies are contributing to a skills gap across the majority of industries. 

This is according to research published by the training body Target Internet, in association with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

This year’s report analyses data from more than 10,000 marketing professionals, gathered between 2018 to 2023 and highlights key short and...

24 October 2023 | Advertising

56% of UK consumers always accept cookies without thinking

A third (34%) of Brits admit that they have given up following cyber security best practice because it feels like an impossible task, according to research from Thales.

The research, which surveyed over 2,000 UK citizens, found an alarming level of consumer apathy when it came to keeping themselves safe online.

This apathy is closely tied to feelings of confusion, futility, and information overload. More than half (51%) expressed their struggle to grasp rapid...

11 October 2023 | Best Practice

Shoppers turn to apps for rewards due to cost-of-living crisis

Mobile app experience company Airship has released findings from a global survey that highlight the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on Britain’s consumer shopping behaviours.

Faced with soaring inflation, which reached 10.4% in February, 80% of consumers in the U.K. now regularly use their smartphones to access stored loyalty cards and coupons while shopping in physical stores, compared to 79% for the U.S., 73% for France and 72% for...

24 April 2023 | Customer Experience

Retailers feel there are too many channels to effectively sell through

A TV remote control.

Online shopping has never been more convenient for consumers, who have access to a plethora of channels through which to engage with their favourite brands.

However, this same variety is confounding retailers, with 47% saying there are simply too many channels for them to effectively deliver the best sales experience.

This is according to Wunderman Thompson Commerce & Technology’s “Brands don’t fail... eRetail!” report, which found nearly all (94%) retail...

19 April 2023 | Content Marketing

Demand for mobile services booms, while consumer spend cools 

Someone walking in the snow.

data.ai (formerly App Annie), a mobile data analytics provider, reveals in its annual State of Mobile 2023 Report that demand for mobile apps accelerated last year while consumer spend shrank. Downloads grew to 255 billion (+11% YoY), and hours spent peaked at 4.1 trillion (+9% YoY).

Meanwhile, consumer spending across all app stores, including third-party Android marketplaces in China, slipped by 2% YoY to $167 billion as economic headwinds impact discretionary...

20 January 2023 | Mobile Marketing

21% of consumers never want to hear from retailers

A gnome holding a sign that says 'go away'

Just 16% of UK consumers think that retailers react to their feedback, despite 69% of businesses claiming to do so.

This is according to new data released by Emarsys, an SAP company. The company's research, which surveyed both consumers and retailers across the UK, highlights the struggle to keep up with customers and identifies a number of disconnects between the two. It found that 28% of UK consumers believe their feedback is being used purely for marketing purposes rather than...

19 January 2023 | Advertising

98% of brands think connected TV advertising will be bigger than mobile advertising

AppsFlyer has released its new survey report, Connected TV Trends, 2022-23, Advertiser and Viewer Perceptions, that combines viewer and brand insights on the rapidly evolving Connected TV (CTV) space.

The growth of CTV devices and platforms has spurred interest and popularity for advertising, and the survey found that currently, 64% of businesses are running direct response campaigns on CTV. 

Advertising on CTV also allows brands to expand reach, measure...

31 October 2022 | Advertising

Investing in apps remain top priority for CMOs

More than half (53%) of businesses without an app plan to launch one in the next 12 months, according to a new survey of 101 UK CMOs.

The growth of the app market continues to go from strength to strength with more than seven million apps now available across iOS and Android. In fact, the research found that almost half (48%) of businesses currently have an app.

The survey, from digital marketing consultants ConsultMyApp, questioned 101 CMOs of businesses with more than...

24 October 2022 | CMO

One in three Brits prefer to reach customer service via WhatsApp

Someone using WhatsApp on their phone.

One in three Brits would prefer to contact customer service via SMS or WhatsApp, new research shows, highlighting the need for businesses to employ a fully omnichannel presence. 

Despite call centres being a traditional means of communication between brands and their customers, this is now the preference for under half of the UK population (43%), according to a survey of 1,000 Brits by telecoms provider Esendex. 

In a similar vein, 79% of consumers would...

27 September 2022 | Customer Experience