Twilio Research Finds the French Demand as Much Engagement in Exchanges With Brands as With Their Loved Ones

Tailored interactions are at the heart of brand loyalty

Paris, June 1, 2021 - Twilio, the leading cloud communications platform, today unveiled the results of research that shows that the French expect as much from their brand interactions as they do from interactions with their loved ones. The French are loyal to brands that communicate with them on the channels they use on a daily basis. 

Lack of responsiveness is cited as a reason for dissatisfaction for 64% of French people when dealing with a brand, climbing to 73% for 25-34 years-old.  The annoyance is just as pronounced in their personal lives, with 70% of respondents being frustrated by the same behaviour from their loved ones. 

Building engagement: an opportunity for brands to get closer to their customers 

41% of responses from 16-24 years-old show they favor a brand that engages with them via the channels they prefer - while these factors are also important for 37% of the responses from the same age group with regards to relationships in their personal life. 

"Businesses have always had an instinctive assumption that there are many similarities between how people engage with brands and with their loved ones; but this study demonstrates that we’ve actually become as demanding of the brands we interact with as we are in our personal relationships,” explains Jeremy Grinbaum, director, Twilio France. “Brands need to think beyond their commercial offering and consider the digital experience they build for their customers and how that creates engagement. Customers aren’t making decisions just on the basis of  price and this presents a huge opportunity for them - adapting how they communicate, both in terms of channels, but also with regard to content, businesses can build long term relationships and capitalise on the loyalty of their customers.”

The right channel for the right interaction drives loyalty

Consumers expect their channel preferences to be considered: older audiences prefer emails and SMS (89.5% preference for the 45 to 60+ age group), while unsurprisingly, younger people prefer quick communication via direct messages or voice messages. 34% of the 16-24 years-old want to interact with a chatbot for example, and 29% via Instagram direct messages.

These figures reflect the importance of having a tailored approach when communicating with customers. The largest portion (44%) of respondents said they’ve been loyal to their favorite brand for more than 10 years, which is also the case when asked about the longest they’ve been in a personal relationship (62%). For the majority of respondents (48%), loyalty is attributed to how the brand keeps them satisfied beyond the products or services they offer, for example in their interactions with them.

“Contrary to many cliches, our data shows that French customers are loyal  in both their personal relationships and with the brands they engage with and this is the ultimate prize for brands building engagement strategies,” continued Jeremy Grinbaum. “Engagement strategies that reflect customer preferences are no longer just a nice to have, but have a tangible effect on customer loyalty and retention.”

At every step of engagement, it is possible to build and strengthen relationships and deliver more personalised experiences. Whether acquiring, converting, or retaining customers, a strong customer engagement strategy can more effectively connect brands to their customers. Businesses can tailor their approach and target their audience to exchange via SMS, voice, video, email, WhatsApp, chatbots, and more. Ultimately businesses that do this win. 

Methodology:

The study on "The French and Engagement" was conducted by Ipsos France for Twilio in March 2021. A total of 2,153 respondents over the age of 16 were interviewed in a representative sample of the French population.