Last April in our ‘I want it and I want it now’ post we talked about how the UK’s increasing fixation with tech and the development of super quick delivery services were set to change how Brits shop and what they expect from brands.
A year and a half on, more evidence has come to light on the impact this reliance on tech is having. According to a study by Fetch and YouGov, Brits are now losing their patience too – with over two-fifths of the UK (42%) saying they have less patience than they did 5 years ago.
This increase in impatience is particularly prominent amongst millennials with 52% saying they are now less patient than 5 years ago, whereas, in contrast, older generations are more relaxed, with just a third (34%) saying they feel more impatient. This increased impatience amongst young people is unsurprising, however, considering a staggering 81% of millennials report trying new technologies in order to improve the speed of daily tasks.
The study also revealed that dealing with automated chatbots, rather than a person, when making a complaint was the most frustrating online experience. Again, there were stark differences across generations, however; just 14% of young millennials reported automated response tools a cause of frustration, vs 37% of 55+. The next most frustrating experiences were being interrupted with irrelevant advertising and delayed delivery from online shopping sites.
Overall, this research simply adds more evidence on how increasing tech reliance is having a very real impact on consumers and what they expect from brands and services. Brands need to understand that they are on the clock; consumers don’t have the patience to deal with long-winded in-efficient automated customer services or deliveries that miss their allocated spot. The need to communicate with consumers with the right message at the right time is more important than ever.
