Indians seek personalised, seamless shopping, banking, travel experience: study

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) today revealed results of a new survey which shows that 91 per cent of Indian consumers are more likely to opt for retail, financial services or travel companies which offer them greater control over where, when and how they interact across a range of channels — including social media and smart phones.

The findings show that Indian consumers today are demanding more seamless and personalized experience across multiple self-service technologies. An overwhelming 88 per cent of Indians surveyed said they are more likely to choose retailers that enable them to interact via their preferred combination of online, mobile and in-store self-service channels. Beyond this, 94 per cent of those surveyed said organisations need to do more to ensure their social media activities are properly integrated with these channels.

“Indian consumers today are time-starved and digitally-enabled. They are frustrated by inconsistent experiences across channels and demand more personalised, unified interactions whether on the web, in-store, or using their mobile device. It’s clear that in India, more than anywhere else in the world, consumers favour companies that allow them to do business where and when they wish,” said Jaivinder Gill, NCR’s managing director for India.

Sifty-four per cent of Indian respondents – the highest out of the nine countries which took part in the study globally – strongly believe it’s important to be able to access consistent information on product and services through their preferred combination of online, mobile or in-store self-service channels.

Moreover, 45 per cent of Indian respondents research financial products online while 40 per cent access social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to seek financial product recommendations or peer opinions.

Around 66 per cent of respondents believe they would like to be able to personalize the way they access online, ATM, call center channels and improve the speed and efficiency of the service. For example, they would prefer to be greeted by name and choose a favorite ATM transaction, which makes cash withdrawals and other transactions up to 40 per cent faster.

When travelling, 78 per cent of Indians want airlines and airports to offer kiosks, web or mobile technology to enable them to review and select flight options in the event of a delay. A further 53 per cent prefer beating the queue and moving straight to the security gate with a mobile boarding pass.

A massive 86 per cent respondents said that they were more likely to choose a travel provider that offered them greater control over managing their entire travel experience through self-service, for example searching for, securing and making changes to flight, car rental and hotel reservations.

Summary of survey results:

Technology

• 64 per cent of Indian respondents strongly believe that access to consistent information on products and services through their preferred channel is very important.

• 94 per cent agree that organizations need to do more to ensure their social media activities are properly integrated with their other interaction channels, such as websites, emails and information at physical locations.

• 91 per cent Indians respondents are much more likely to choose a company that makes it easier for customers to personalize and control when, where and how you interact through their preferred combination of online, mobile or in-store self-service channels.

Finance

• 66 per cent of Indians feel that being able to customize the way they access financial services and products through multiple channels will give them more control.

• 61 per cent would choose a bank branch where they have the option to conduct services – such as bill payment, cash and check deposit, print statements, mobile top up – via self-service ATMs or kiosks.

• 45 per cent of Indian respondents research financial products online.

• 40 per cent access social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter for financial product recommendations or peer opinions.

• 77 per cent use their smart phones to check their bank balance.

• 65 per cent pay bills through their smart mobile phone.

Retail

• 56 per cent of Indians are likely to use a location tracking application on a smart phone to locate stores and restaurant giving them more control on how to shop.

• 88 per cent of Indians surveyed said they are more likely to choose retailers that enable them to interact via their preferred combination of online, mobile, self-service and in-store channels.

• 82 per cent of Indians feel that their shopping will be faster if retailers use technology to personalize their experience.

• 80 per cent of Indians feel that their restaurant ordering will be faster if restaurants use technology to personalize the experience.

Travel

• 65 per cent of Indian consumers would use their mobile phone to access travel information or conduct a travel transaction.

• 52 per cent of passengers would use their mobile phone to check in for flights.

• 55 per cent would use their mobile phone to access maps and directions.

• 88 per cent would find it helpful if their travel provider enabled them to review. and select other flight options at a kiosk, online or via a mobile device.

• 86 per cent more likely to choose a travel provider that offered them greater control over managing your travel experience through self-service.

• 23 per cent would like to be able to go through airport security with a mobile boarding pass.

About the survey

NCR commissioned BuzzBack Market Research to conduct NCR’s 2010 Self-Service consumer survey with 4,570 people across 9 countries in North America, Canada, UK, Brazil, India, China, Italy, Germany and Australia during March 2010 and April 2010. This survey covered 509 Indian respondents. The results form part of the BuzzBack LLC, a leading international market research firm headquartered in New York City.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a global technology company leading how the world connects, interacts and transacts with business. NCR’s assisted- and self-service solutions and comprehensive support services address the needs of retail, financial, travel, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, gaming and public sector organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.