Published on the 15/06/2016 | Written by Beverley Head

Leading brands have lifted their game as far as consumer digital experience is concerned – but still only three companies fall into the top performing bracket…

SAP’s second Australian Digital Experience Report reveals the importance of a strong digital brand, with respondents saying that “delighted” consumers are almost five times more likely to stay loyal to that brand than dissatisfied consumers. They are also much more prepared to share data with those digital brands.

That said, just 26 per cent of survey respondents described themselves as “delighted.” Forty percent were still dissatisfied.

It’s still better than last year.

Stuart O’Neill, head of SAP Hybris – the division of the company which sells customer facing solutions such as CRM, ecommerce, billing or marketing – said that the inaugural report revealed the importance of getting the basics of digital experiences right. Companies which allowed consumers to transact online however were seen to be doing well.

He said that since then the number of companies getting the basics right had leapt – but the challenge now was to supplement that with a good user experience.

“Table stakes is now consistency across channels,” he warned.

Last year Suncorp was the only organisation which was named as performing positively in the majority of the attributes that the survey measured, scoring 11 out of a possible 13 positive marks. (This year the survey measures 14 separate attributes).

It defines the digital experience as a “digital interaction between a brand and its customer as part of the discovery, transaction, delivery or support of a product or service.”

Suncorp is nominated as the leader in the insurance sector again this year, and is one of just three companies managing a positive overall score. Netflix was the top performer overall. The third company with a positive score wasn’t named.

The other top brands by sector were Coles, Target, iiNet, Synergy and St George Bank and Netflix.

According to the report the good news is that “Australia’s digital performance is getting better. The bad news; there’s still a significant gap.”

O’Neill said that it was important companies recognised that creating a strong digital experience was now core to business and branding. Offering digital alternatives to bricks and mortar based services “Is not cannibalising existing business, it’s about extending it…you can cross sell and upsell,” he said.

At the same time respected digital brands should expect a data bonanza. The survey found that 39 per cent of “delighted” consumers would disclose their buying preferences, 24 per cent their health records, 24 per cent their web browsing history, and 21 per cent their personal finances.

But O’Neill warned that while the rewards were clear, creating a strong digital presence did not come cheap – and just as companies invested millions of dollars in bricks and mortar expansion, they should also expect to invest in technologies to allow their digital brand to flourish.