Dubai: Users in the UAE are demanding more from the apps they use – but how well are the apps responding? Not so well, by the looks of it.
Nearly all respondents in the UAE partaking in a poll by Cisco experienced performance issues when using apps over the past 12 months. At a time when ‘users in the Emirates have zero tolerance for poor digital performance and when things don’t work as they should, their reactions have become extreme’, according to App Attention Index research findings.
Moreover, 71 per cent in the UAE said their expectations for digital experiences are ‘far higher now than they were two years ago (the height of the pandemic)’. And 74 per cent stated they now expect brands to deliver an exceptional digital experience as standard.
The Cisco study examined digital behaviors of more than 15,000 consumers, including 1,005 from the UAE. The feedback was:
- 65 per cent indicate they feel disrespected by brands whose apps don’t meet their expectations.
- 71 per cent are less forgiving of brands when problems occur.
- 80 per cent have stopped using or deleted applications because of performance issues over the last 12 months.
Compared to their global peers, the UAE’s consumers ‘think harder’ before installing new applications, and ‘ridding themselves of a sense of ‘application clutter’ by culling applications that fail to meet the grade’.
- 77 per cent (compared to global average of 68 per cent) are keen to get rid of app clutter (apps they don’t use enough or value anymore).
- 80 per cent (a whole 18 percentage points higher than global average) are looking to control or limit the number of apps they are using or that they have on their device.
- 64 per cent (globally 54 per cent) have deleted more applications than they have installed over the last 12 months.
“It's a critical time for brands — invest in your application experience, or risk losing customers,” said Ronak Desai, Senior Vice-President and General Manager, Cisco Full-Stack Observability and AppDynamics.
“Good performance is no longer enough; consumers expect only the best from their applications, and any single issue could be a reputation and revenue killer. At Cisco, we're well aware of this, and we're committed to helping organizations stay ahead by proactively optimizing their digital experiences and keep their customers happy."
