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

Faltering consumer confidence sees expectations around spending plummet

A pile of £20 notes.

Almost a quarter (24%) of consumers plan to spend less across six key sectors: travel, luxury, retail, automotive, technology and financial services.

This is according to new research from RAPP and Code (part of Omnicom Precision Marketing Group). Two years of a global pandemic, economic uncertainty and now macro-level global events have unsurprisingly caused consumer behaviour to constantly shift, making it hard for brands to keep up. Now as confidence hits rock bottom, brands...

14 April 2022 | Commerce

TGI Fridays owner targets Gen Z with investment in digital experience

TGI Fridays Manchester.

Food tech platform C3 (Creating Culinary Communities) has been given a $10 million boost from TriArtisan Capital Advisors and its investors, the portfolio of which includes TGI Fridays, PF Chang's and Hooters. 

TriArtisan's investment is part of an $80 million in Series B funding that C3 secured this past month and co-led by Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and REEF Technology with participation from Egon Durban and Greg Mondre, managing partners and co-CEOs of Silver Lake...

23 August 2021 | Branding

Digital marketers among most in demand freelancers

A for hire sign.

Technology, digital marketing and design workers have been the freelancers most in demand in the past 12 months.

This is according to a study by online jobs marketplace PeoplePerHour, which analysed data from 15,000 freelancers in the timeframe. Results showed that the most in demand freelancing jobs are in technology, digital marketing, and design with an increase in projects for freelancers with strong marketing, technical skills or programming...

1 June 2021 | Content Marketing

Why adding intrinsic incentives for eCommerce and social is key amid heightened consumer demands

Raise your hand if you have a wallet bursting with so-called “customer loyalty” cards. You likely have one for each supermarket, your favourite coffee chain, and maybe for the bookstore. With some brands upgrading to an app, you probably also have a smartphone screen full of their colourful icons. But how often do those loyalty schemes actually influence you to make a purchase? More importantly, do they keep you loyal to the brand?

The problem with most loyalty programmes is...

30 April 2021 | Best Practice

Gartner: How is digital commerce changing the face of customer experience?

There was a time when digital commerce meant static storefronts. Back then, if you were to purchase from a business, you’d almost definitely have spoken to someone along the way – either face-to-face or over the phone. Perhaps it was the cashier at your local grocery or the account manager at your local bank. You might have even known their name. Even if you didn’t, you’d expect that staff would be trained in a variation of the phrase, ‘the customer is always right’ as a...

16 March 2021 | Best Practice

Assessing the 2021 landscape: Commerce aligned with social set to rocket as brands truly digitise

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that massive disruptions can happen overnight across industries, with customer communication responsibilities from marketing to care often falling to the social media marketing team. The trends we at Socialbakers have seen take shape this year -- from increased usage of social messaging to recruiting niche influencers to help expand social reach -- are likely to grow in the coming year as more and more customer interactions happen...

14 December 2020 | Advertising

Understanding changing consumer behaviours this holiday season – and how marketers can gain confidence into 2021

Arriving in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, this holiday season will undoubtedly turn out different than most. The crisis has widened consumer appetite for choice and introduced unexpected shifts in consumer behaviour. Our 2020 Holiday Season research revealed that safety and uncertainty remain dominant features of daily life, and this is altering both how consumers shop and what they plan to buy. Instead of door-busting crowds, 2020’s holiday shoppers will turn to apps and websites...

24 November 2020 | Commerce

Why brands must embrace consumer post-pandemic buying habits

The coronavirus pandemic has, in many ways, radically changed consumer behaviour. In-store shopping has plummeted due to social distancing measures, and many customers are instead opting for no-touch fulfillment and purchasing items online.

Once the pandemic passes, some shoppers will return to their previous buying habits as though nothing ever happened. But many consumers are forming new buying habits that will stick with them well into the future. Brands need to understand...

10 August 2020 | Best Practice

Disrupting the eCommerce status quo: Covid-19 and digital transformation

There is no doubt there is a sense that the Great Retrenchment is upon us; yet as ever, where there is a crisis, new opportunities arise.

As Ian Altman, business-to-business growth expert and bestselling author of Same Side Selling, reminds us, the underlying product or service hasn’t changed, but the way it’s presented now has to.

Up until Covid-19 most organisations believed they had reached the pinnacle of digital transformation, when in fact they were nowhere...

23 July 2020 | Advertising