The connected consumer is here (infographic)

15 Apr 2013

Irish consumers are one of the most demanding across all mature markets, new research from Accenture Ireland suggests. And that’s not all – 42pc of Irish consumers don’t feel loyalty toward companies, technology is empowering consumers’ purchasing decisions, and 92pc of Irish consumers will share any negative consumer experiences with others.

Accenture’s ‘2012 Global Consumer Pulse research’ reveals that Irish consumers’ expectations have increased over the past year, and that a gap exists between their expectations and what companies are delivering.

And if companies fail to deliver, most Irish consumers will likely let others know, with social media fuelling this effect. Word of mouth, according to the report, is very powerful in Ireland, and 66pc of consumers said they would leave a provider if they encounter any problems.

Social media is just one technology providing Irish consumers with access to information they never had before, which is empowering their buying decisions. These ‘connected consumers’ are also becoming multi-channel consumers, and they want to interact with product and service providers through their channel of choice.

The research included responses from more than 12,000 people in 32 countries, including 314 in Ireland. This infographic reveals more of the survey findings:

Infographic

Ireland’s digital leaders will gather to examine and discuss the next-generation technologies that will tranform business strategy at the Digital Ireland Forum on Friday, 19 April, at the Convention Centre Dublin

Connected consumer image via Shutterstock

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com