Cheetah Digital, a cross-channel customer engagement solution provider for the modern marketer, has released its 2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index: Australia edition

The study found that Australian consumers trust ads less, and prefer ‘hyper-personalised’ brand experiences, with email still sitting comfortably as their preferred engagement channel.

“In the value exchange economy, Australian consumers are rewarding brands that make personalisation a priority, with more than half saying they will trade personal and preference data to feel part of a brand’s community,” says Billy Loizou, VP of go to market, APAC at Cheetah Digital. 

“When done correctly, loyalty programs govern the value exchange between brands and consumers, and not just for a single interaction, but for direct engagement over the customer lifetime. With contextually differentiated, personalised experiences, they can be the conduit for the one-to-one relationships that build customer lifetime value.”

Based on the Australian edition of the 2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index:

Email marketing reigns supreme

Email continues to sit comfortably as Australian consumers’ preferred channel for receiving offers, content, incentives, and rewards from brands, the report shows. In fact, when it comes to driving sales, email beats paid social and display advertising by up to 228% in Australia. This is 120% higher than consumers globally.

Price isn’t the only loyalty driver

Australian consumers are loyal to brands that create emotive bonds by fostering community, recognising their customers as individuals, and delivering bespoke offers and product recommendations that reflect this. Even more, 63% of Australian consumers are willing to pay more to purchase from a favoured brand.

Greater personalisation yields ROI and long-term consumer excitement

In the value exchange economy, Australian consumers are rewarding brands that make personalisation a priority, with more than half saying they will trade personal and preference data to feel part of a brand’s community. At the same time, there’s been nearly a 50% increase in Australian consumers who feel frustrated with a brand whose personalisation initiatives don’t recognise their unique desires and needs. 

Trust in advertising is on the decline

As Google and other browsers cement their plans to comprehensively curtail third-party cookie tracking and consumers get even more proactive about protecting their online privacy, marketers must shift to a first- and zero-party data strategy to power their advertising and marketing initiatives. More than half of Australian consumers (63%) don’t trust social media platforms with their data. And 69% share they believe cookie tracking is “creepy”.

Access the Australian data findings here.

Access the global report here.