Once upon a time, customer expectations were limited to basic factors such as fair prices or quality of service. But the rise of Social Media, e-commerce and now AI have brought a whole new set of customer expectations that brands and marketers must know how to address. Even more challenging is the fact that these expectations are not static, far from it.

In this article, we will discuss 5 trends that are driving the rapid evolution of client expectations and the reasons behind them.

1. Customer service through social media

Research has found that, in five years, the number of customer complaints via Social Media is set to increase from 10 to 28%, nearly overtaking telephone and email which are currently the mainstream channels for customer service.

This represents a challenge for almost any industry with a social media presence. Just as we expect to get feedback from friends almost immediately after sharing something online, customers will expect (and possibly demand) instant answers to their queries or complaints. In this setting, brands must allocate enough resource to ensure a quick response across their social media platforms, especially when a customer is publicly expressing dissatisfaction.

Social media networks are also playing an increasingly crucial role in the customer journey; at the research stage they are now second only to search engines. Millenials are largely responsible for this trend, with 62% of them increasing their usage over the past year. More interestingly, 66% of Millenials feel that their customer service expectations have also increased over the last year, mainly in terms of speed, a ReadWrite report has found.

This trend is in line with other changes in the field of digital marketing brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, 88% of customers now expect companies to accelerate digital initiatives and 69% believe companies should offer new ways to access existing services (customer support included) as a result of the pandemic.

1. Customers are becoming increasingly self-sufficient

With Millenials and Gen-z representing a growing audience, the percentage of users more likely to try to solve problems themselves is increasing.

Self-checkouts, FAQ pages and chatbots that offer round-the-clock assistance are gradually replacing costly contact centres. Chatbots are especially promising; Insider Intelligence predicts that consumer retail via chatbots will reach $142 billion by 2024, compared to just $2.8 billion in 2019. Currently nearly 40% of worldwide internet users now prefer chatbots over virtual agents, and, with many industries turning to this form of AI, this figure will only increase in the coming years.

3. Are the days of charging a delivery fee over?

From the very beginnings of e-commerce, shipping costs have been an integral element. Initially, few if any customers even questioned why they had to pay a delivery fee on top of their purchase. But in the era of Amazon, shopping online has become mainstream and a growing number of buyers (66% of them) now expect free next-day delivery on every purchase.

4. Influencers empower consumers

When Kate, a consumer with only a handful of followers on Instagram, voices her dissatisfaction over your product or service then it may not be ideal. Still, it’s not exactly the end of the world either. On the other hand, when a popular blogger with over 500,000 followers does the same thing it’s a PR crisis. Even more so if Kate happens to follow this blogger and decides to leave a comment saying, “I also had a negative experience.”

This is why it is increasingly important that, as we engage influencers, we need to understand their role as intermediaries between social media consumers and brands. If a survey found that 93% of marketers believe that influencer endorsements increases brand awareness, imagine what influencer scrutiny could do for your brand.

5. Personalisation is more crucial than ever before

Advances in technology, namely artificial intelligence, are allowing brands to offer increasingly “human” experiences across the different stages of the consumer journey. This has proved to be a significant marketing opportunity, with 52% of customers now expecting to find personalised offers when navigating online, up from 49% in 2019.

However, a McKinsey survey of senior marketing leaders found that only 15% of CMOs consider that their company is getting personalisation right. The survey suggests that the key to achieve a truly personalised approach is by investing in customer data and analytic foundations.

And this can certainly lead to a significant ROI. According to Accenture, 75% of customers admit to being more likely to buy from a company that recognises them by their name, knows their purchase history and recommends products based on their past purchases.

In recent years, different systems have been developed with the aim of gathering and analysing structured and unstructured user data. This, coupled with algorithms that can identify behavioural patterns and customer propensity, is providing marketers with the necessary means to embrace personalisation.

The McKinsey survey also found that 44% of CMOs believe that frontline employees will use insights from advanced analytics to provide a personalised experience, whilst 37% say that AI-powered tools such as facial recognition and biometric sensors will grow in popularity.

Is it time to rethink your strategy?

The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the pace in which consumer behaviour evolves. So, as we set our eyes on a post-pandemic scenario, this may be the perfect moment for you to take a step back and analyse if your marketing strategy is agile and dynamic enough to meet these changing customer expectations.

This article was created by Mediareach Advertising, a leading London-based digital and social media marketing agency.