December 2nd, 2022, Bhavika Bansal
As the lines between physical and digital experiences continue to blur, the parameters of a good overall customer experience also continue to be redefined. Creating meaningful omnichannel customer engagement strategies can not only enhance a consumer’s ‘digital experience’ but also be the key to customer retention. But have airlines embraced this digital evolution? Are customers satisfied with their online and in-app interactions with airlines or are they left wanting more?
Data from a recent YouGov poll conducted across 18 markets shows that just under a quarter of global respondents think airlines provide a good digital experience (24%).
Banks (46%) remain a consumer favourite for the digital experience they provide while a third of respondents are satisfied with the digital experience provided by clothing/beauty retailers (30%). While an equal proportion of consumers are happy with the digital experience provided by hotel companies (24%) as airlines, they significantly outpace sports events (16%) and car brands (14%). Essentially, our data shows us that the air travel industry is mid-table when it comes to the (digital) experience it provides for travelers.
When we look at consumers who are satisfied with the digital experiences offered by airlines by country, the data reveals some interesting nuances.
Almost two-fifths of consumers in the UAE (39%) - outpacing the global audience significantly - are satisfied with the digital experience provided by airlines.
One in four consumers in Mexico (24%) say airlines provide a good digital experience for customers, unlike their North American counterparts in Canada (21%) and the US (20%).
Data also reveals that some APAC markets are more likely to be satisfied with the digital experiences offered by airlines than the global average - Singapore (30%), India (29%) and Australia (27%). Other countries in the region line up with the global numbers. Almost a quarter of consumers in Indonesia (24%), China (24%) and Hong Kong (23%) are happy with the online and in-app interactions with airlines.
The European markets have similarly scattered opinions, but also bring up the back of the list. While more than a third of consumers in Italy (35%) think airlines provide a good digital experience, this proportion falls to a quarter of consumers in Spain (24%) and a fifth of consumers in Denmark (22%), Poland (20%) and Sweden (20%).
Though less than two out of ten consumers in GB (19%) are happy with the online and in-app interactions they have with airlines, they outnumber the proportion of satisfied consumers in France (15%, the lowest of all global markets).
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Methodology: YouGov RealTime Omnibus provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18 and over in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 513 and 2,008 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in August 2022. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov RealTime Omnibus.
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