SINGAPORE –\u00a0Media OutReach<\/a>\u00a0-
Heart Matters’<\/i> study, which was conducted by Qualtrics for SAP
The study also revealed that three in five consumers
Singapore consumers surveyed indicated a gap between
Basics matter in winning customer confidence <\/b><\/p>\n Fundamental to any business, customer centricity is
Comparing Singapore customers’ expectations to what
Across
“While it’s positive that brands in Singapore have
“The pandemic has laid bare the criticality of the
Diverse options, personalised touch<\/b><\/p>\n With digital-savvy consumers turning to e-commerce to
Delivery, the last-mile of the shopping experience,
Proactiveness in engaging customers was another area
Being intuitive mobile natives, Singapore customers
Not taking trust for granted<\/b><\/p>\n Having transparency and control over their data and
People, planet and prosperity above profits <\/b><\/p>\n With global warming and climate change are rising to
Singapore brands fair slightly better than the APAC
The full report of
Visit the SAP News Center<\/a>. <\/b>Follow SAP on Twitter at For customers interested in
\n12 May 2021\u00a0–<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/i>Instead of bringing
\nbusinesses closer to their customers, Singapore’s digital pivot last year has
\nin fact widened the gap between what consumers expect of brands, and what
\nbusinesses actually deliver. According to the new ‘Heart Matters’<\/i> study announced by SAP SE<\/a> (NYSE: SAP), Singapore’s consumers find that businesses
\nfall short of expectations by as much as 28% when it comes to being
\ncustomer-centric, behind the Asia Pacific (APAC) average of 21%. Furthermore, only
\nhalf (55%) of consumers in Singapore stated that brands here are able to
\nresolve their issues after three interactions. <\/p>\n
\n
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\nCustomer Experience, surveyed 5,900 consumers across APAC countries including
\nAustralia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, India, Malaysia, and Thailand to
\nunderstand their expectations and encounters with brands when it comes to
\ncustomer experience, spending, and matters they truly care about. Key gaps
\nidentified from the study centred on the areas of customer centricity,
\npersonalised experiences, openness in privacy and data control, as well as
\nsustainability and ethical behaviour. <\/p>\n
\n
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\nin Singapore are now expecting brands to be purpose-driven, going beyond
\nprofits and transactional relationships, to demonstrate trustworthiness,
\nempathy, shared values, and care for society. <\/p>\n
\n
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\ntheir expectations and actual experiences on this front, in areas such as
\nbrands respecting the rights and welfare of their workers (80% vs 67%), treating
\nsuppliers ethically (76% vs 56%), actively work to reduce gender and racial
\ninequality (73% vs 55%), and not engage in anti-competitive behaviour (70% vs 54%).<\/p>\n
\n
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\nvital to creating positive brand experiences, loyalty, and a key differentiator
\nin an increasingly competitive digital landscape.<\/p>\n
\n
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\nthey experienced in reality, areas that local businesses were found to be
\nlacking include responsiveness within 24 hours to customer queries (78% vs 51%),
\nacting on customers’ feedback to improve products and services (84% vs 58%),
\nresolving issues in less than three interactions (83% vs 55%), having a reward
\nprogramme customised to their interests (81% vs 54%), and offering innovative
\nor better ways to serve customers during COVID-19 (86% vs 65%).<\/p>\n
\n
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\nthe countries surveyed, Australian consumers were the most likely to cite a gap
\nbetween their expectations and actual experiences of customer centricity
\noverall (31% shortfall), followed by Malaysia (26%), Singapore (22%), Japan
\n(22%), and South Korea (14%). Consumers in India and Thailand had the best
\ncustomer experiences with expectation gaps at only 4% and 8% respectively. <\/p>\n
\n
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\nadapted quickly to the pandemic by tapping on digital tools and turning to
\ne-commerce, customers still expect brands to deliver on the basics \u2013 this means
\nproviding them with positive experiences and swift resolution of issues. It is
\nsobering to know that despite all the efforts businesses have put into digitalisation
\nover the past year, fundamentals around customer centricity are still not being
\nmet in Singapore. There is clearly an urgent need for brands to humanise the
\ngap between digital actions and the heartstrings of consumers,” said Peggy
\nRenders, General Manager & Senior Vice President, SAP Customer Experience,
\nAsia Pacific & Japan, who was recently appointed to her current role in
\nJanuary 2021. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\ncustomer experience in our hyperconnected world today. The key to sustainable
\ngrowth in a post-COVID world lies in the right solutions and leadership that
\ntransform the customer experience. As a future-forward nation that is home to the
\nregion’s leading businesses, brands in Singapore have a golden opportunity to
\ntransform to give customers exactly what they want, and when they want it, in a
\nfuture that is entirely digital.” \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
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\nfulfilling their shopping needs, they are also expecting brands to offer a
\ndiversified range of shopping experiences, with personalised options that cater
\nto the unique needs of each customer.<\/p>\n
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\nwas among the most dissatisfied areas for those surveyed, with 82% of Singapore
\nconsumers expecting brands to provide timely and accurate delivery options they
\ncould trust, but with just over half (59%) saying this was met in reality. The
\ndissatisfaction over quality and reliability of delivery services especially
\nsignificant for local supermarkets, where just 55% of Singaporeans mentioned
\nthey received trustworthy delivery services (vs 80% expectation). <\/p>\n
\n
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\ncited as an area of improvement, with just around half of Singapore customers shared
\nthat brands are actively updating them on relevant specials and new products (56%),
\nis proactive in anticipating their needs and wants (55%), and provides tailored
\nsuggestions based on their purchase history and preferences (50%).<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nalso want brands to provide omnichannel experiences that enable their
\nlifestyles, expecting brands to provide them with a network of physical and
\nonline stores (76%), have easy to transact options across multiple channels
\nsuch as online to in-store (81%), yet still provide a consistent experience
\nirrespective of channel (82%). <\/p>\n
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\norders is also a key area brands are falling short on, with Singapore consumers
\nhighlighting shortfalls in having full transparency over how their personal
\ndata is being used (35% gap), security of their private data and not sharing it
\nwith third parties (33% gap), only obtaining private data from customers to
\nserve them better (25% gap), and making it easy to track their orders and
\nqueries (23% gap).<\/p>\n
\n
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\nthe forefront of agendas, Singapore consumers are increasingly placing greater
\nexpectations on brands to go beyond transactional customer interactions, expecting
\nbusinesses to actively demonstrate their care and concern for the environment,
\ntheir workers, and broader community and society.<\/p>\n
\n
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\naverage on the expectation-experience gap, in the areas of whether brands look
\nfor new ways to recycle and reuse products, packaging materials and materials (12%
\nvs 18% APAC gap), having specific policies to reduce and report carbon
\nemissions (10% vs 14% APAC gap), and having a strong focus on sustainability
\nand ethics in sourcing and selling their products (4% vs 10% APAC gap).<\/p>\n
\n
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\nHeart Matters study is available for download here: www.sap.com\/asia\/heartmatters<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.media-outreach.com\/Release\/templates\/images\/socialMedia\/iconmonstr-twitter-1-24.png\"\/)
@SAPNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nlearning more about SAP products:<\/b><\/p>\n
\nGlobal Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
\nUnited States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n