As digital-first consumers continue to dominate the marketplace, apps and websites have become the primary channels for customers to interact with businesses. With the power to make or break customer loyalty, understanding the app user experience has never been more crucial.
New research reveals the top digital trends shaping the website user experience, app user experience, and overall customer experience. For real-world insights, Medallia Market Research conducted a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers to learn more about their digital experiences and how they impact the overall cross-channel customer experience.
Top Digital Trends in App User Experience
Quality matters! High-quality app and website user experiences can attract customers, while bad ones often drive them away. In fact, the majority of consumers (58%) say that at least once, they have chosen a competitor due to the lack of quality of a brand website or mobile app.
Consumers are most likely to abandon a brand's website or app due to data security or privacy issues, the website or app malfunctioning, and not being able to find what they're looking for when searching or browsing. There's a lot of room for companies to improve the digital experience, with about 1 in 5 consumers feeling confused during their most recent website or app user experience.
The Dominance of Apps
Apps are becoming the preferred digital channel, with consumers more likely to report using a brand's app versus their website (57% to 44%). They're even more likely to say that the app experience is their preferred digital channel versus the website experience (70% vs. 42%).
Frequent customers in industries like financial services and restaurants are likelier to prefer apps over websites, with app visits driven more by the user than external prompts.
The Importance of Feedback
Seventy percent of consumers report that they don't leave any feedback about their digital experiences. It's time for brands to rethink their customer survey strategy and adopt other digital customer experience monitoring strategies and solutions.
Tools like digital experience analytics can help teams understand what's happening for 100% of website and app users across their journeys, enabling companies to intervene quickly with the appropriate next-best action.
Evolving Shopper Journeys
Shopper customer journeys are evolving thanks to social media and app in-store modes. More than half of consumers (59%) say they've purchased a product through a social media platform, while 55% have used the "in-store mode" on a company's mobile app while at a physical store.
By understanding these digital trends, companies can unlock exceptional app user experiences that drive customer loyalty and satisfaction.