New research reveals the pandemic has altered the way Australians want to interact with local businesses. Does your clinic make the cut?
Australian consumers say their tolerance for poor business communication has decreased since the pandemic and almost three-quarters will blacklist local businesses who don’t cater to their habits and preferences, according to research from Podium, a leading communications and payments platform for local businesses.
The Business-to-Customer Communications Report, which sought to understand what consumers want from local businesses post-pandemic, reveals that almost half (48%) of Australians say that as a result of the pandemic and the digitisation of businesses, they have less tolerance for local businesses that don’t offer easy, convenient or customer-friendly means of communication. More than half (57%) would be less likely to engage with a business if the channel was inconvenient, while 55% would choose a business that offered convenient communication options, even if it was more expensive.
‘Our research shows many consumers now judge businesses based on communication, with many willing to pay more money for a more convenient experience,’ says Podium’s Dave Scheine, Country Manager, Australia.
‘As global economic headwinds circle, and Australian households become more cautious about their discretionary spending, every lead, interaction and sale take on added significance for local businesses. Those who recognise how their audience is changing, then cater to their habits with convenient communications strategies, will be better placed to succeed.’
Text marketing surpasses email
One of the biggest changes comes in how Australians want to interact with local businesses. The average Australian spends almost two hours a day on their smartphones, with one in four spending at least three. Half of Australians (49%) say that businesses that use text to communicate appear more professional than those that don’t.
It comes as the most convenient channels for consumers change. Email, once the primary means of communication between businesses and consumers, has been surpassed by text. Three- quarters (76%) of Australians say they’re reliant on SMS reminders to manage their day-to-day life tasks, while 69% say an SMS reminder has saved them from missing an upcoming appointment.
The value of SMS comes as email and phone calls become less impactful. Almost half (46%) of Australians have deleted an email from a business without opening it in the last 24 hours, while almost two-thirds (62%) have ignored an unsolicited call from a business in the last week.
Tapping into text marketing offers a significant opportunity for aesthetics clinics to better communicate with their patients. AMP
For more data, including state-by-state breakdowns, the full review is available on the Podium website at www.podium.com.au/ebooks
Key findings
- Every day, 50% of Australians delete an email without opening it, because businesses have oversaturated email marketing.
- Overly regular and inconvenient marketing is more harmful to businesses than they realise, as 73% of people will blacklist a business for spamming them with marketing material – even if they subscribed to the online newsletter first.
- Younger people are more inclined towards businesses that utilise SMS to communicate, with almost 50% of Australians under 35 years of age more likely to respond to a business over text, and to continue to use that business in the future.
- However, for businesses targeting a broader age demographic, convenient communication is just as important: only 12% of Australians over the age of 55 are happy to interact in their non-preferred method.
- Convenience trumps cost for most Aussies, with 55% prioritising businesses based on their convenience, even if they were more expensive than a competitor.
- 36% believe local businesses still don’t understand their preferences as a consumer.
