With the global health crisis compelling businesses to embrace digital technologies to survive, thrive, and reach out to consumers, business leaders can take into account the recent Qualtrics survey results when mapping their strategy during and post-pandemic.

Following the release of the Qualtrics survey on consumer behaviors and expectations of brands they engage with during a pandemic, the Experience Management company’s latest survey results highlighted the consumers’ preference for e-commerce in the time of COVID-19.

“After months of disruption, we are beginning to see new behaviours and preferences emerge that are likely to remain post-pandemic. There is no doubt that there has been a massive shift towards digital, making it critical for brands to ensure they are able to optimise the experience they deliver on their digital channels including mobile applications,” said Qualtrics Southeast Asia head of CX solutions strategy Harish Agarwal.

“Simultaneously, even though consumers are beginning to go back to some previous habits, high levels of ambiguity remain, meaning businesses must be able to understand and quickly respond to changing environments. Businesses can deal with this ambiguity using tools like Qualtrics to get an “always-on” and integrated understanding of their customer experience across touchpoints, equipping them with end-to-end insights to continually deliver superior customer experience,” Agarwal further explained.

In this article, we look into the Philippines and Singapore consumers’ preferences during the pandemic and in the coming months. Over 300 respondents were surveyed in each country.

Filipinos Switching to Digital

Though 94{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents are still very concerned by the pandemic, the Filipino consumers have quickly adapted to utilising online platforms since COVID-19 hit the country.

• 67{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents have purchased more online, which is evident in the frequency increase of online banking (62{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 55{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of respondents said that visit to retailers have been lessened, reflecting an increase for online grocery shopping (53{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 76{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of Filipino consumers said they will continue online shopping over the next six months
• 47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents still prefer food pick up versus dining in despite the 50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} increase for dine-in capacities of restaurants in general community quarantine (GCQ) areas and 75{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in modified GCQ areas in the country

Looking at the next six months, 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said it is likely they will choose to eat at a restaurant; 37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} were planning to take a family holiday; 36{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said they are ready to use public transport. For air travel, Filipinos are still quite ambiguous about it saying it’s unlikely they will travel internationally (57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) or domestically (54{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

The number of people in the Philippines expecting COVID-19 to affect their day-to-day life for more than a year has increased to 45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} (up from 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in June 2020).

Singaporeans Embracing E-Commerce

Commenting on Singaporeans’ behavior during the pandemic, Agarwal said:

“Even though Singaporeans are beginning to go back to some previous habits, high levels of ambiguity remain, meaning businesses must be able to understand and quickly respond to changing environments.”

The recent Qualtrcis survey revealed that consumers in the city-state are embracing e-commerce. 

• 57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents have purchased more online and have used online banking
• 47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said they visit retailers less, reflecting an increase in shopping for groceries online (44{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})
• 73{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of surveyed Singaporeans said they will continue shopping online even after six months
• 56{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} still prefer picking up their food order instead of dining in restaurants

In the next six months, contrary to the Philippines survey results, a higher percentage of the Singaporean respondents are willing to eat at a restaurant (58{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and are most likely to use public transport (61{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). However, more than 60{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the respondents said they are not ready to travel by air, a bit higher than the Philippines’ number.

The number of Singaporeans expecting COVID-19 to affect their everyday lives for more than a year has also doubled to 37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} from May 2020.

The post Qualtrics Survey Reveals the Need to Find the Best E-Commerce Solution appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

As businesses slowly ease into the new normal, including creating marketing strategies and roadmaps for the future of commerce, Qualtrics’ recent survey on consumer behavior during the pandemic in the Philippines and Singapore gives organisations critical insights on the pulse of the market in these changing times.

The recent Qualtrics study relates to the last study conducted by Qualtrics in May 2020, which outlines the biggest drivers of brand trust following the COVID-19 pandemic and how consumers want to be engaged. In Qualtrics’ latest study, the actions brands are taking continue to have a significant impact on consumers regardless of the changes in restrictions due to the pandemic.

Lisa Khatri, Research and Brand Experience Lead for Qualtrics in APJ said:

“Being able to identify, understand, and respond to rapidly changing expectations is business-critical during the pandemic, and long after it. The fact that preferences toward the message and the medium have changed and yet the importance of actions remains hugely important reveals brands cannot afford to stand still in how they engage consumers. 

As we move forward through the pandemic preferences and attitudes will continue to shift. This is why it is hugely important businesses use technology like Qualtrics to have an “always on pulse” of consumer sentiment and behavior tracking. Insights delivered by Qualtrics help identify the lead indicators businesses need to design and deliver the brand communications and experiences people want, and which ultimately cultivate the trust needed to succeed.” 

In this article, we will take a look at how the consumer behaviors, preferences, and expectations from brands they engage with shifted during the first 6 months of the pandemic in the Philippines and Singapore.

The Philippines Consumer Pulse

95{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the Philippines consumers said that brand actions impact trust in the time of a crisis. The drivers of the brand trust are consistent with May 2020 Qualtrics’ research and these are:

• (41{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Not taking advantage of a crisis to maximise profits remains the most important 
• (40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Maintaining reasonable pricing
• Taking care of customers (34{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and employees (23{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})

A Shift in Communication and Engagement Platforms

The survey revealed a significant shift in communication preferences, messages, and engagement platforms in the Philippines.

The top brand communications people expect today are updates on the brand’s response to the pandemic and messages on safety and hygiene protocols. Information into products and services is down one place to the third most desired message, (50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). Sales and promotion emails (45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and information on reward programs are next in the consumers’ preferences.

Facebook (84{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) remains the most popular engagement platform followed by online media (63{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), email (56{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and TV advertising (51{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

Singapore Consumer Pulse

In the city-state, more than 90{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of consumers agreed that during a crisis brand actions impact trust. Similar to Singapore’s response in May 2020 and comparable the to Philippines’ consumer response, the drivers of the brand trust in the country are:

• (40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Not taking advantage of a crisis to maximise profits remains the most important 
• (37{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) Maintaining reasonable pricing 
• Taking care of customers (32{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and employees (27{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22})

A Shift in Communication and Engagement Platforms

The top message that Singaporeans expect from brands today is sales and promotion via emails (52{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), which has shown an 11{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} increase from May 2020. The other messages that make up the top 5 messages consumers want are information into products and services (47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), safety and hygiene protocols (43{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and reward programs (41{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

As for the preferred engagement platform, Singaporeans are increasingly choosing email (60{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), followed by Facebook (47{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and Whatsapp (45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}). The study revealed that consumers are moving away from traditional broadcast (19{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) and online media (38{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), which showed a significant drop versus last May.

*Qualtrics surveyed 328 Singaporeans and 328 Filipinos (aged 18-65) in early September 2020.

The post Qualtrics Surveys Consumer Behavior During a Pandemic in PH and SG appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.