ADI: A Seamless Cross-Device Experience Is Not On The Menu Yet
Consumers use multiple devices while performing tasks. But the experience is not up to their standards, according to the latest ADI report, “Europe Best of the Best 2015.”
Cross-device experiences are what European consumers are looking for, according to the latest report from Adobe Digital Index (ADI), released today at Adobe Summit EMEA.
Smartphones have become the go-to device for many key tasks, when compared to other devices, such as tablets, and desktop computers. They are the most used device when consumers are looking for directions, checking their social media, or listening to music. But marketers are missing the point if they are not optimising for the cross-device experience, according to new ADI data. The latest ADI report, “Europe Best of the Best 2015,” combines both analytics and consumer survey data from five European countries, and shows that cross-device experiences are what customers are most after today—even as marketers are failing to deliver.
ADI research, including a survey of over 5,000 EMEA consumers, shows that consumers rely heavily on multiple devices as they perform a variety of everyday tasks.
And that isn’t even the whole universe of devices in play. On average, Europeans own 6.1 connected devices, and use an average of nearly three daily. While this “device graph” is smaller than that in the U.S, it still means marketers have the burden of tracking consumers as they shift between these devices during tasks.
Eighty-five per cent of consumers claim they regularly switch devices during tasks, making it increasingly hard for marketers to track consumers, and understand where they are within the customer journey. This is especially pertinent for the retail sector, as consumers frequently swap devices when doing product research and shopping online. The likelihood of users switching between devices is also common when using email and social media. This habit is heightened when looking at millennials, who are more likely to frequently switch compared to any other age group.
As customer expectations from multi-channel world have increased, so has their dissatisfaction in the experience that is being delivered across multiple devices and screen sizes, with only 40% agreeing that brands are doing a good job at providing a consistent, personalised cross-device service.
The report also identified a number of key challenges facing consumers that significantly impact on their ability to move seamlessly from one device to another—including having to relog into a site (24%), the changes in screen size (18%), and the ability to enter data (17%). Consumers also highlighted the impact of advertising, the loss of their search history, and the lack of personalisation as having a negative impact on the multi-channel experience.
“These journey disruptors are a wake-up call for marketers,” said Tamara Gaffney, ADI Principal Analyst, “marketers need to get mobile right, even as they work on something even harder—a seamless cross-device experience.”
Read related story: ADI ‘Best Of The Best’ Shows Brands Need To Work On Mobile Experience
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