Opinion: Brands Must Adapt to Address Heightened Customer Expectations

James Harvey, CTO Advisor EMEA at Cisco Observability, highlights the evolving landscape of consumer expectations regarding the total application experience over the past two years. With the widespread adoption of applications and digital services across various aspects of daily life, consumers now prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to their digital interactions.

In the wake of the pandemic, which catalyzed a surge in the use of applications and digital services, consumers have become increasingly discerning about the digital experiences they encounter. They now expect seamless, fast, and convenient interactions with applications, influenced by the exceptional experiences offered by innovative companies worldwide.

According to recent research from Cisco, titled The App Attention Index 2023: Beware the Application Generation, a significant majority of UAE consumers (71%) report higher expectations for digital experiences compared to two years ago. Furthermore, 74% express a preference for using only the best applications and digital services, anticipating an exceptional digital experience as the new standard.

This shift underscores the need for brands to prioritize delivering high-quality digital experiences to meet the heightened expectations of today's consumers. As consumers continue to demand excellence in their digital interactions, brands must innovate and invest in optimizing their applications and digital services to remain competitive in the ever-evolving landscape of consumer preferences.

The concept of the "total application experience" has evolved significantly over the past two years, driven by changing consumer demands and expectations. While previous research identified reliability, simplicity, security, and convenience as key factors in a positive digital experience, recent trends indicate a shift towards a more holistic set of qualities and features.

Today, consumers are seeking a broader range of attributes that contribute to a seamless and standout digital experience. While foundational elements such as reliability, security, speed, and ease of use remain essential, there is now an increased emphasis on additional aspects. Consumers are increasingly prioritizing intuitive interfaces, meaningful interactions, and personalized experiences tailored to their individual needs and preferences.

This shift reflects a growing desire among global consumers for digital experiences that go beyond mere functionality to deliver added value and relevance. Brands that can effectively incorporate these elements into their applications and digital services are better positioned to meet the evolving expectations of today's consumers and differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace.

The shifting consumer attitudes towards digital experiences have significant consequences for organizations across industries. Brands that fail to meet the heightened expectations of consumers risk facing severe repercussions.

Consumers are increasingly intolerant of subpar digital services and are actively seeking to streamline the number of applications they use. As a result, a significant portion of consumers, 79% in the UAE, are now more selective about the applications they install on their devices.

Moreover, the repercussions for brands that fail to deliver on consumer expectations are substantial. A staggering 80% of consumers in the UAE have stopped using or deleted applications from their devices due to performance issues in the past year. On average, individuals have deleted more than five applications as a result of poor digital experiences.

These reactions underscore the growing importance of delivering a seamless and high-quality total application experience. Brands that prioritize meeting and exceeding consumer expectations in the digital realm are better positioned to retain customers, foster loyalty, and succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape.

The increasing demand for a seamless total application experience underscores the importance of application observability as the foundation for meeting consumer expectations. Alarmingly, nearly all (97%) of UAE consumers have reported experiencing performance issues with applications over the past year, highlighting the prevalence of subpar digital experiences.

To address this challenge, application owners must prioritize application observability, which provides comprehensive visibility into application performance, availability, and security. With the rapid adoption of cloud-native technologies, organizations face a complex and fragmented application landscape. IT teams often lack visibility into these environments, making it difficult to detect and resolve issues before they impact end-user experience.

Application observability offers unified visibility across both cloud-native and on-premises environments, enabling IT teams to quickly identify issues and understand their root causes. By correlating application data with business metrics, IT teams can prioritize issues that pose the greatest threat to digital experience, ensuring a seamless user experience.

In response to consumers' heightened expectations for digital experiences, brands must prioritize quality over quantity and invest in application observability to deliver the seamless total application experience that consumers demand. Failure to do so risks losing customers and damaging brand reputation in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.