APAC to lead global customer experience investment in 2022: Report

In response to a pandemic-induced surge in new digital consumers and online behaviours, Asia Pacific businesses are set to outstrip other global regions in customer experience investment this year, but Adobe’s 2022 Digital Trends: APAC in Focus report notes that they recognise that critical skills and capability gaps may hold them back as they seek to maximise this commitment to serving digital-first consumers.

Why it matters

While most APAC businesses will outpace the global average and increase spending on areas such as customer experience management and customer data technology in 2022, many organisations must overcome outdated mindsets and practices to unlock the full benefits.

Key insights

• Some 77% of APAC businesses experienced a surge in new customers through digital channels over the past 18 months and 77% saw new customer journeys.
• But just 25% of businesses believe they have significant insight into this new wave of digital-first customers.
• Asia’s ability to obtain customer insights lags ANZ and India – only 18% have customer insights across new customer journeys, friction points, loyalty and drivers of purchase.
• Forty-five percent of Asian interviewees said that their digital experience lags customer expectations (45% said it kept pace).
• Fifty-one percent of Asian businesses said they either kept pace or slightly/significantly underperformed their sector.
• Fifty percent of brands feel that the biggest obstacle holding them back was digital skills and capabilities.
• Fifty-five percent thought that investing in work and project management would be key to drive productivity.

Key quote

“The digital rewiring of consumer mindsets in Asia Pacific has been of high benefit to those businesses who have embraced an agile digital mindset, purposeful collaboration and sped up their time-to-value ratio. Companies that overcame organisational and technology silos to work cross-functionally were able to drive meaningful customer experiences that are personalised, real-time, relevant and connected across all channels” – Duncan Egan, vice president digital experience marketing at Adobe Asia Pacific & Japan.