Majority Of Consumers Feel That Brands' COVID-19 Communication Was Aligned With Their Preferences But Are Ready To Move On To New Topics

New International Survey From Mitto Reveals Lessons Learned From Brand Communication During COVID-19 Crisis

News provided by

May 06, 2020, 09:00 ET

ZURICH, May 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitto, a leading provider of global omnichannel communications solutions, today announced the results of its survey around consumer attitudes and preferences towards brands' communications with them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall the results indicate that consumers appreciated hearing more frequently from brands during the pandemic and believe brands have communicated with the right tone and content, but fatigue has set in and consumers are ready to move on and hear about something else now. Of the seven regions surveyed, on average 41 percent are ready right now to hear from brands about topics unrelated to COVID-19, rather than next week, next month or later this year.

In April, Mitto surveyed 7,000 respondents across The United States, China, Spain, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brazil and Nigeria about their attitudes towards brands' communications with them around the COVID-19 crisis. 77 percent said that the messages they received from brands over the past few weeks have made them feel like brands care about their well being. 30 percent of respondents said that brands made them feel less anxious about the global coronavirus pandemic. The findings reveal that brands have successfully built strong relationships with consumers and as a result, consumers want and expect to hear from these brands during both "normal" and difficult times.

"The crisis has been a challenging time for all businesses around the world, and marketers are required to be mindful of how, where and how frequently they engage with their customers," said Andrea Giacomini, CEO of Mitto. "Fortunately, marketers have more technologies than ever before at their disposal to better understand the pulse of their customers and, as our survey showed, they have generally been quite successful with their communication approaches during such a complex period. As we move out of this crisis, brands and their marketers must not underestimate the value of building strong customer relationships during 'normal' times that get tested during tough times."

During the COVID-19 crisis, brands have been forced to make judgment calls when it comes to the messages they're sending consumers and how they choose to communicate with their customers. While most consumers (53 percent) surveyed said that they were hearing from brands more often in the last few weeks, most (73 percent) also agreed that this increase in contact was appropriate. Most (58 percent) people welcomed communication informing them about changes to the business that could affect them during the crisis. Very few (11 percent) consumers said they were not interested in hearing anything from brands regarding COVID-19.

Additional key findings include:

When asked which industries they are most interested in hearing from right now, all countries ranked messages from essential services like doctors or banks higher than delivery services (DoorDash, Amazon), except Spain.
6 of the 7 regions surveyed said they were more tolerant of slow communication from small businesses than large companies, however respondents from China said they were equally as intolerant of slow communication from both small and large businesses.
When asked what types of messages consumers want to hear from brands during the crisis, all regions surveyed ranked special offers and coupons highest over availability of services, product updates and satisfaction surveys, indicating an appetite among many consumers to spend.

Survey Methodology:

These findings are based on a Pollfish survey of 7,000 adults distributed into 1,000 responses from each of the following countries: The United States, Brazil, Nigeria, Spain, The United Arab Emirates, China and Australia. The survey ran from April 15th through April 29th, 2020.

About Mitto:

Mitto is a leading provider of global, omnichannel communications solutions, supporting business growth with advanced customer engagement technology and messaging enablement. Offering easy-to-integrate SMS, Voice, and Chat App APIs, next-generation business messaging, and end-to-end phone number management, Mitto's platform ensures the world's largest brands and mobile networks are ready for what's next. Follow Mitto on Twitter: @mittoglobal

Media Contact:
[email protected]
SHIFT Communications

SOURCE Mitto