Almost one in four consumers have reported switching brands or not renewing a subscription because the company sent too many emails or text messages.
The finding comes from a global survey of 1,200 consumers – aged 18+ – conducted by Arion Research in February 2023 and sponsored by Sendbird.
It highlights how over-communication is becoming a significant issue for companies.
Moreover, a second statistic shows that – because of over-communication – one consumer out of two reported missing or ignoring communications by phone, email, text, and social media.
No Easy Way Out for Consumers
Customers often cite phone and email as their preferred channels. Yet, they suffer from the frequency of spam across both channels.
As a result, consumers often turn to smartphone-blocking features and spam folders to “ignore” unwanted communication.
Nonetheless, the unwanted communication appears unrelenting. Even SMS is showing signs of overuse from consumers, with 33 percent of consumers reporting an increase in spam over the past 12 months.
Casting an eye over these figures with a generational lens is even more eye-opening. Nearly a third of millennials and Gen Z reported that companies sent too many text messages.
For Gen X and Baby Boomers, that drops significantly to 18 percent and 12 percent.
Avoiding Communication Fatigue
Conventional wisdom suggests that the ability of a business to provide a positive customer experience should include expanding communication channels.
The survey supports this, highlighting that when businesses use the customers’ preferred communication channel, they are more likely to remain a customer (82 percent), buy more (69 percent), and become an advocate (66 percent).
It is essential, though, to moderate the use of outreach across those channels to prevent customers from experiencing “communication fatigue.”
After all, omnichannel communications should be the standard for businesses that want to optimize and elevate the customer experience.
Other Fascinating Findings from the Report
Consumer communication preferences evolve over time and vary based on channel trust and the specific online (or offline) activity.
The Arion Research report aims to capture a snapshot of the current status quo.
In doing so, it churned out many more top tidbits. For instance, it reveals that email (82 percent) and the phone (77 percent) are the communication channels consumers trust most, followed by live chat via website (58 percent) and mobile app (46 percent).
Another thought-provoking statistic is the channel consumers are least likely to use when communicating with a business.
To learn more and check out the full report, “Consumer Channel Preferences for Communicating with Businesses”, go to the Arion Research website.
Thanks to Michael Fauscette, Founder, CEO & Chief Analyst at Arion Research, for sharing this article with us.
