Last week on the blog we discussed customer experience and the gap between the business perspective and the customer perspective. This week as YouGov research is released by marketing agency Epiphany, we see that the younger generation have a desire for a positive customer experience; so much so that they’re willing to part with even more personal data.
For under 25s personalised search and targeted advertising campaigns is simply part of everyday life online, via search engines, websites and of course social media. Here are some of the key findings:
- 32% of the 18-24 year olds surveyed use social media for research with the intent to purchase, compared to 13% of 45-54 year olds.
- 25% of 18-24 year olds reported using video content on sites like YouTube for detailed product and service research.
- 10% of younger people reported making a purchase after clicking on a Facebook ad, while only 6% of older respondents claimed to have done so.
- 55% of those aged 18-24 watch video on their smartphones daily – but only 8% of those aged 55 and over said the same.
- 19% of 18-24 year olds are willing to share more personal data to allow for more targeted marketing, while only 11% of 45-54 year olds agreed.
“The research has uncovered some interesting behavioural themes that I expect we’ll see develop and come to the fore for marketers in the next couple of years,” said Tom Salmon, MD at Epiphany. “Certainly, the move towards younger generations researching and purchasing on social media offers a valuable opportunity for brands to look beyond search, and assess their priority of this channel as a sales driver.”
With the younger generation showing more of a willingness to actually click on ads, they are a promising audience that if nurtured could provide a healthy ROI. The key to keeping this audience group happy, engaged (and importantly, likely to click!) could begin the clever and innovative use of visuals and video. We’re not calling the youth of today impatient, but… the need for the right information fast is important to them. Customer experience must be smooth and easy and give the desired result quickly, even if that means the need to provide more personal data and preferences.