CHICAGO: Chinese consumers are the most satisfied with their online experiences, due in large part to how they encounter social interactivity, according to new analysis of internet satisfaction in China, the US and Germany.
That finding is based on a survey of 3,000 consumers across the three countries, which was conducted by Performics Worldwide, a performance marketing agency, and the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University.
Their collaboration resulted in the latest quarterly Digital Satisfaction Index (DSI), which used a 100-point scale to identify four key factors that impact consumer satisfaction – trust, utility (the need for efficiency), social (the need for connection) and privacy.
According to the study, Chinese consumers scored 69.7 on the DSI, higher than both their American (61.3) and German (64.9) counterparts, and this outcome was driven by high scores in the utility and social segments.
What's more, the report found that Chinese websites excelled in social satisfaction, scoring 73.7 compared with 61.9 in the US and 60.3 in Germany, and it added that Chinese consumers also placed more importance on social interactivity.
"All brands should look to create more social interactivity, which powered Chinese satisfaction in this latest study," said Michael Khan, CEO of Performics Worldwide and Global Performance Practice Lead at Publicis Media.
"Community feedback is integral in the consumer purchase journey, and sites that excel in social integration can separate themselves from the pack," he added.
And further underlining the importance of the social factor, the report found that women across all three countries were more satisfied with their online experiences than men.
While Chinese consumers emerged as the most satisfied with their overall online experiences, the research also found that German consumers were the most satisfied with trust and privacy, which the report attributed to strict privacy safeguards in the European Union.
By contrast, US consumers were the least satisfied when it came to privacy, scoring a privacy DSI of just 30.3 compared with 41.9 in China and 44.7 in Germany, although utility and social both rated highly in the US.
As Khan noted: "Beyond utility, US brands, in particular, continue to lag in creating user comfort around data collection practices."
That finding is based on a survey of 3,000 consumers across the three countries, which was conducted by Performics Worldwide, a performance marketing agency, and the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University.
Their collaboration resulted in the latest quarterly Digital Satisfaction Index (DSI), which used a 100-point scale to identify four key factors that impact consumer satisfaction – trust, utility (the need for efficiency), social (the need for connection) and privacy.
According to the study, Chinese consumers scored 69.7 on the DSI, higher than both their American (61.3) and German (64.9) counterparts, and this outcome was driven by high scores in the utility and social segments.
What's more, the report found that Chinese websites excelled in social satisfaction, scoring 73.7 compared with 61.9 in the US and 60.3 in Germany, and it added that Chinese consumers also placed more importance on social interactivity.
"All brands should look to create more social interactivity, which powered Chinese satisfaction in this latest study," said Michael Khan, CEO of Performics Worldwide and Global Performance Practice Lead at Publicis Media.
"Community feedback is integral in the consumer purchase journey, and sites that excel in social integration can separate themselves from the pack," he added.
And further underlining the importance of the social factor, the report found that women across all three countries were more satisfied with their online experiences than men.
While Chinese consumers emerged as the most satisfied with their overall online experiences, the research also found that German consumers were the most satisfied with trust and privacy, which the report attributed to strict privacy safeguards in the European Union.
By contrast, US consumers were the least satisfied when it came to privacy, scoring a privacy DSI of just 30.3 compared with 41.9 in China and 44.7 in Germany, although utility and social both rated highly in the US.
As Khan noted: "Beyond utility, US brands, in particular, continue to lag in creating user comfort around data collection practices."
Data sourced from Performics, Northwestern University; additional content by Warc staff
