How 3 CX Trends Compare from North America to Asia-Pacific in 2022
Earlier this year, we released a customer experience (CX) (and employee experience) trends report for both the North America and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions. These new CX trends were based on indirect and inferred data, as well as surveys across several industries. And surprisingly, there were some standout similarities that connected the two seemingly disparate customer bases. In fact, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Y, and even the up and coming Gen Z, all have their voices heard in these data insights.
So what can we learn from a cross-continental comparison? If we investigate the CX climate in two vastly different regions, it can help bridge the expectation gaps that we have for this year. After all, issues like the pandemic are global occurrences, so how else can you make sense of such an event except by looking at that level of scale?
Pearl-Plaza invites you to think along with us about the bigger picture! Let’s scale up and dive into these CX Trends:
CX Trend #1: Consumer Comfort Level with COVID Safety Precautions
Yes, we know it’s been two years (going on the third), but COVID is still important to discuss. Safety concerns continue to vary throughout each region and they’ll certainly affect what consumers want in experiences from any brand. The question we decided was most crucial is whether consumers feel comfortable with the COVID-related safety measures put in place by various industries. Truthfully, if a customer doesn’t even feel safe to enter, it’s a safe bet you’re losing their business.
- In ten APAC countries we discovered that 56-75% of consumers were comfortable with the safety precautions currently in place. Australia, Singapore, and Thailand were in the top, each with percentages higher than 70%.
- But in Canada and the United States, only 51-61% of consumers were comfortable. This was found in nine different industries.
Obviously, the comparison isn’t one-to-one. But if about 2 in 3 consumers in APAC are comfortable, compared to NA’s 1 in 2, it’s worth figuring out what APAC businesses are doing differently.
CX Trend #2: The Impact of Social Media Influencers
Even with a consumer generation spanning seven decades, social media influencers are maintaining their, well, influence. Both APAC and NA regions match with 55% of consumers being somewhat or extremely likely to use influencer codes in 2022. And in APAC, there aren’t significant differences like you would expect between the four generations. Baby boomers are, predictably, at the lowest with 50% and Gen X and Y the highest with 68%.
1 of 2 consumers in each generation are likely to use influencer codes, which means discounts, discounts, and discounts are a key incentive this year. And they don’t just want a discount sign at the front of your store, but for you to tap into the influencer market and establish a strong social media presence.
CX Trend #3: New Loyalty Indicators & Drivers Are Emerging
What experience elements would most impact a consumer’s loyalty? Here’s what stakeholders expect industries to do to maintain their loyalty:
APAC:
NA:
A lot of consumer priorities align in each region and, as expected, new loyalty drivers centralize around integrating digital options into the buyer experience. Since the pandemic, digital experiences have risen in demand and moving forward, it’s becoming an increasingly essential component of the consumer experience. One of the biggest challenges digital experience expectations pose is that consumers still want their experiences to feel personalized. Connecting those features will be critical to consumer loyalty this year.
Capitalizing on CX Trends Across the Globe
Customer experience is an ever-changing field and looks differently depending on where you are on the map. But there’s always a few similar threads that consumers are pulling, and that’s what CX trends reports are all about: identifying the threads brands need to pull on to prepare for a successful year ahead.
Interested in the specifics? You can access the full APAC or NA trends report if you’d like to learn about the other trends that match or differ!
