Tag Archives: survey

News

Doddle Announces Findings From European Retailer Survey

Global e-commerce technology provider Doddle has launched its latest survey of over 200 European retailers which was designed to gather their views and insights on out-of-home (OOH) delivery. The findings include a clear message to carriers that whilst there are opportunities to grow market share through cheaper and more sustainable OOH delivery methods, they need to take action, or risk missing out to their competitors.

A little over half of respondents are using a carrier-provided tool to offer OOH delivery – but 44% of respondents said they would switch carrier provider if they offered better integrations. Around a third said their carrier did not offer any way to display out-of-home delivery locations at their checkout.

Tim Robinson, CEO at Doddle, explains: “There’s a warning for carriers in our dataset: if they don’t make it easy for retailers to offer out-of-home delivery, they could lose their business. They need to ensure they have the tools for retailers to build a brilliant delivery experience right from the checkout, where consumers are making crucial decisions. The good news is that they can then drive more volume into those cost-effective out-of-home delivery channels by encouraging non-adopters to start offering a wider set of delivery options. To that end, they should continue building the statistical evidence that merchant KPIs are likely to improve when they offer OOH delivery. They can also position it as their most sustainable delivery option: 80% of our survey respondents indicated that they believed it was important to offer consumers a sustainable delivery option. That’s a role out-of-home delivery should absolutely be promoted to fulfil. “

The majority of retailers offering OOH delivery saw an increase in conversion, average order value or Net Promoter Score after introducing the service, and those who do not offer it were found to significantly underestimate the potential benefits it brings.

“Our merchant respondents are broadly already engaged and offering out-of-home delivery options at the checkout, with the majority seeing at least one significant benefit and many seeing several KPIs increase after introducing the out-of-home option. However, there remains much to improve and a widespread desire for assistance from carrier and logistics partners in making those improvements,” concludes Tim.

 

FInance, News

Redgate survey identifies key database monitoring challenges businesses should focus on in fast-growing Financial Services sector

A sector analysis of the results from a major database monitoring survey has revealed how and why the growth, complexity, and management of database estates in Financial Services is different to other industry sectors. The results clarify the areas businesses in the sector should consider when including their database estates in digital transformation initiatives.

The global monitoring survey of 2,500 IT professionals and C-level executives was undertaken by Redgate in 2021 to discover the scenarios and challenges organizations face when monitoring their database estates. The large number of responses also provided the opportunity to dig a little deeper and compare the similarities and differences across industry sectors.

Financial Services in particular emerged as an outlier in the newly published sector insights report in four major areas:

  • The size and complexity of database estates is different to other sectors, with a nuanced difference between smaller firms and those with very large database estates.
  • There is a far wider use of monitoring tools and the data gained from those tools is shared with more teams across the business.
  • There is a need to manage people and compliance much more closely, probably prompted by the move to remote working.
  • The sector is ahead of the curve in the requirement to monitor cloud and hybrid database environments.

The insights are even more pertinent, given the recent big increase in investment in the sector. KPMG’s January 2022 Pulse of Fintech report revealed global investment in the fintech market topping $210 billion in 2021, a 173 percent increase on investment activity over 2020. Notable, one of its four trends to watch out for in 2022 is an increasing focus on the modernization of core banking platforms to reduce the reliance legacy infrastructures and facilitate better customer experiences.

While the investment is there, and there is a willingness and an urge to upgrade IT systems and process, issues remain. As Deloitte’s 2022 Banking and Capital Markets Outlook report observes: “Even though digital transformation is going ahead at full speed, these efforts tend to be incremental, localized, and fragmented, resulting in a pervasive and pernicious ‘technology trap.’ This is preventing many banks from realizing the full potential of their investments.”

Hence the value of the Redgate insights report in giving businesses in the sector a deeper understanding of the issues and the challenges they face when monitoring their database estates. By providing a benchmark of results businesses can use to compare their own efforts against those of their peers, future investment in their database estates can be directed more wisely.

Businesses in the sector can gain a full picture by downloading The State of Database Monitoring in Financial Services insights report online.

E-Commerce, News

Consumers spend less and are more selective, while 79% say they were more forgiving about delivery experiences during pandemic

  • 63% of consumers admit to spending less in shops and online than a year ago
  • 43% won’t accept COVID-19 as a reason for poor delivery or customer service experiences anymore

London UK; 28th June 2022: Consumers are spending less and are more selective with their purchases, while 79% say they were more forgiving about delivery experiences during the pandemic. That’s according to new data from delivery experience platform Sorted, which unveiled the current consumer ecommerce and delivery trends in the face of the rising cost of goods.

The survey, consisting of 2,000 respondents in the UK and US, found that 82% of shoppers admit to being more money-conscious now due to inflation. The main reasons given for them spending less were Brexit/rising cost of goods at 56% (UK respondents), followed by more discounts in-store and online (24%) and a lack of consumer confidence (16%). Unsurprisingly, two thirds of consumers admit to spending less in shops and online than a year ago.

Consumers are fed up with the pandemic excuse

The data revealed that 66% of consumers noticed an increase in customer service problems for purchases and/or deliveries when the pandemic began, with 56% still experiencing these problems now. Worryingly, 63% say poor delivery service would stop them of purchasing from a company again, while 43% won’t accept COVID-19 as a reason for poor delivery or customer service experiences anymore.

Carmen Carey, CEO of Sorted, commented: “Inflation across the UK and the US is the highest it has been in decades, and consumers are having to rethink their spending habits as a result. With money tight, brands are going to be competing more than ever for share of mind and wallet. With customer loyalty at its most fragile, there is absolutely no room for error when offering delivery experiences.”

Consumer spending habits

The survey found that over a third of respondents said they are likely to spend more than usual during Amazon Prime Day in July. Thirty-two percent also now shop at other flash sales throughout the year.

As inflation continues to soar, low shipping costs appeared as the most valued aspect of the delivery experience today (37%). This was followed by delivering on time (32%) and having proactive updates about orders/returns (23%), demonstrating the direct link between delivery experiences and loyalty.

IT Services

Survey Reveals Resiliency Remains Elusive for Organizations

71% of US companies cited supply chain disruption as the biggest issue; in the UK 73% Brexit remains the primary source of disruption

London, UK; June 9th 2022: Disruption remains a constant for organizations, with the majority struggling to build resiliency into their operations, a survey from Orbus Software uncovered. The poll of 1,000 IT decision-makers in the US and UK found that 89% of companies have experienced some form of disruption over the last two years. However, over half of enterprises are struggling to increase resiliency, with 44% lacking a dedicated team.

In response to the pandemic digital initiatives have accelerated for the vast majority (83%) of enterprises, with seventy-eight percent reporting dramatic changes to their business models, including 39% migrating to the cloud and almost half (44%) restructuring their teams during this period. However, despite these strategic shifts, only 36% were able to report business growth.

Those enterprises that suffered disruption experienced knock-on effects, spanning staff shortages (56%), supply chain issues and increased business costs (48%) coupled with technology costs increasing (44%). This highlights the interdependencies of organizations and the need to prioritize resiliency. Many are struggling primarily because of the complex web of disparate or legacy systems along with a lack of buy-in from management or other departments.

Looking ahead, 52% of IT decision-makers believe they need to account for regulatory changes. Among the top technology investment priorities for the remainder of 2022 were:

  • Digital privacy (37%)
  • Digital transformation (35%)
  • Cybersecurity threats (35%)
  • Business continuity (31%)

Rupert Colbourne, Chief Technology Officer of Orbus Software, commented, “With the tsunami of disruption that organizations have experienced, it’s clear that operational resiliency needs prioritizing. Without creating agility, businesses leave themselves exposed to the whims of change and can expect their operations to continue to suffer.”

News, Talent Management

Organisations look to outsourcing again post-pandemic

Access to talent and cost savings key drivers to outsourcing revival

Bristol, UK; 10 May 2022: In a recent survey of 300 IT leaders, over half of business leaders are outsourcing to gain access to talent and save on costs.

The survey, conducted by Amdaris, the Bristol-based software development specialist, found that 64% are adopting a new outsourcing strategy in light of the pandemic. With 63% finding it difficult to find and hire strong talent, access to talent was a strong reason for deciding to outsource (54%). This was followed by the imperative to save on costs (54%), access to knowledge and experience (41%) and project support (33%).

Moreover, 74% of organisations believe that outsourcing can help to improve or adopt better software development practices such as agile delivery and quality auditing.

“With the majority of budgets for IT leaders going on tech and talent, it would seem that post-pandemic outsourcing has come into its own as a solution for the top challenges we face today,” said Vlad Nanu, Co-CEO at Amdaris. “Organisations not only face the major challenge of being able to find tech talent, but also improving its digital skills and development velocity. The best technical skills often lie in markets outside of the UK such as Eastern Europe, well known as a tech hub. Continuing the support for that region is particularly key at this time.”

Amdaris assists global companies through expert outsourcing, which provides a wider talent pool and access to multiple stakeholders. This can help dilute the potential risk of losing talent due to unforeseen circumstances. Furthermore, by having multiple centres across Europe, Amdaris is able to quickly mitigate potential risks and assist employees affected by global events.

To support Ukraine, the company relocated its Ukrainian employees from its Odesa facility to centres in neighbouring countries. Amdaris is also providing ongoing support to staff and their families who have been affected by the war through daily check-ins and pastoral care. Amdaris has pledged to help the wider Ukrainian tech community by providing secure employment to any tech professional being forced to flee the country due to the ongoing conflict.

News, Recruitment

Scrap the CV! Existing hiring methods exacerbating the UK’s skills crisis and social mobility divide, research reveals

  • Survey finds 88% screen out candidates because of a lack of experience, yet 67% say screening for experience reduces size and diversity of their talent pool
  • Arctic Shores CEO calls for organisations to “scrap the CV” and select for potential to address the skills mismatch crisis and social mobility divide

Manchester, UK; 26th April 2022: 88% of HR and talent managers have screened candidates out of their hiring process because of a lack of experience, yet 67% say selecting for experience reduces the size and diversity of their talent pool, further exacerbating the skills crisis.

That’s according to a survey by Arctic Shores, the psychometric assessment pioneer, which has identified that outdated hiring methods are shrinking talent pools and hampering diversity. It also costs organisations money, with 72% currently paying higher salaries in order to find candidates with the right experience.

Time to make the leap: embrace potential over experience

Experience is undoubtedly a key factor in whether a candidate is hired, with 91% of respondents identifying experience as a useful way to establish whether a candidate will suit their roles. In light of this, 68% currently use CVs as their first method of screening for experienced hires.

However, the majority (78%) believe a lack of relevant skills and candidate experience will inhibit their ability to achieve strategic objectives and/or financial goals in the next 24 months. By relying on past experience rather than the potential that a candidate shows, organisations are taking a financial and strategic hit.

The World Economic Forum has also warned that 85 million jobs will disappear and 97 million new digital-first jobs will arise by 2025.

Robert Newry, CEO of Arctic Shores, commented: “What we’re seeing isn’t a skills shortage, it’s a skills blindness. We live in a world with millions of capable workers yet companies are stressing about escalating salaries and an inability to fill roles. The issue is that everyone is playing musical chairs, poaching those with experience from other companies, who in turn poach from someone else. The only way organisations will get out of this costly spiral is to start hiring for transferable skills and potential.”

Scrapping the CV

Whereas the majority of hiring managers use CVs as their chosen method to screen out candidates, more than half (59%) have considered removing CVs from their hiring process altogether.

When it came to reasons why CVs hadn’t been removed from the process, 65% of respondents were blocked by the belief of a lack of viable replacements, hiring manager objections, and a lack of time and resources. Removing the CV feels like ‘hard work’ for many, with the perception that there are no viable alternatives. Only 27% use psychometric assessments in their hiring processes.

“Scrapping the CV might sound radical, but you cannot solve tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s solutions,” added Newry. “What we’re calling for is an awareness of the challenge we face and for the start of a transition to futureproof the UK’s workforce.”

There is already evidence that an alternative approach can be taken and with great results. Darren Cassidy, Managing Director of Xerox UK and Ireland, is one of the early adopters of a Scrap the CV approach: “At Xerox, we have always looked to hire people based on their potential, where diversity, inclusion and belonging are core to our culture. So we are excited about our pioneering partnership with Arctic Shores to select for potential. My team has seen how the platform can identify potential from a candidate pool who haven’t had the best start in life and bypass the need to see a CV, which too often holds back those who have had the least opportunity. This is definitely the way forward.”

Martech, News

70% of marketers embrace tech for post-pandemic success, but lack the required technical skills

  • New Clevertouch Marketing survey reveals that marketers are on average overwhelmed by the marketing technology at their disposal.
  • 40% of marketing technology is simply not used, and yet marketers are still purchasing more.
  • There is a majority push towards integration of existing technology.
  • Only 10% of organisations are pushing skills development and organisational design.

Hampshire, UK; 11th April 2022: Clevertouch Marketing, Europe’s leading marketing technology consulting and service provider, has revealed the results of its latest survey in its new report, The State of Martech 2022.

In partnership with University of Southampton Business School (SBS), a world top 100 university (QS World University Rankings 2022), Clevertouch surveyed senior marketers across North America, Europe, and the UK in order to create a picture of the current state of the marketing technology landscape.

The key findings demonstrate that budgets are now being released for the majority of marketing departments, with a real desire to go digital. However, 40% of technology is still going unused as three-quarters of marketers admit to not having the technical ability to match achieve their digital ambitions. Even still, marketers are also continually on the lookout for the next big tech investment, and as a result technology migrations and deployments are not slowing down.

Adam Sharp, CEO at Clevertouch commented: “What is striking to me in the research results is the level of unused, redundant martech that exists today and yet the focus of most marketing organisations is to acquire more martech. CMOs are adding to their burden rather than easing it and the vast majority are almost ignoring organisation learning and design completely. So if you are a CMO that is considering the war for talent, skills development, adoption metrics and organisation design, well done you, you are a rare breed.”

The State of Martech also serves to launch the Martech Success Framework, a new approach to organisational change management. Clevertouch’s Director of Consultancy, Jamie Burrell, explains this further: “Clevertouch’s Martech Success Framework provides marketers with a methodology to effectively deliver change across the organisation. It derisks marketing technology projects by considering all aspects of change including organisational design and development to ensure long term success, widespread adoption and ultimately ROI.”

With CleverTouch’s 2020/1 report highlighting that only 30% of marketers aligned technology with their marketing strategy, this year’s survey revealed further progress.

You can download the report on the Clevertouch website here: https://clever-touch.com/pre-order-state-of-martech-2022

News

Recruitment Firm Release Latest Candidate Survey Results

The Hales Group candidate survey collates valuable insights into both the industrial & commercial employment sectors

Regional recruitment firm Hales Group have recently released the results of their latest candidate survey, where over 300 commercial and industrial candidates have been invited to share their experiences and insights into the recruitment market.

The job market has expanded significantly as the lockdown eased. For example, in one just month in 2021 over 640,000 new jobs ads went live.

However, the survey tells us that candidates are still unsure about moving to new pastures due to fears around COVID, the cost of living, and a multitude of other factors, which means there are now more roles than candidates.

Highlights from the commercial candidate survey include:

  • 96% of candidates said they would research a company on social media before an interview, compared to just 66% in 2021.
  • 44% of candidates were looking for a new job prospect for improved progression opportunities, whereas 30% were looking for increased salaries.
  • 58% said they would be put off applying for a role that didn’t advertise a salary.
  • When asked what their preferred interview method was, 55% said they had no preference either way.

See the Complete Commercial Candidate Results >

Highlights from the industrial candidate survey include:

  • When asked why they were looking for a new role, 15% said they were looking to be closer to home, while 10% said they felt underappreciated in their current role.
  • When asked if they’d consider staying in their current role upon a counteroffer, 69% said they wouldn’t not entertain the idea.
  • When asked what their ideal perks package would contain, 71% said additional annual leave, which remains consistent with 74% in 2021.

See the Complete Industrial Candidate Results >

Kirsty Walpole, the Managing Director of Employment Services at Hales Group, has this to say “One of the biggest challenges in the labour market at the moment is staff retention. The rising cost of living and the tight labour market which has caused significant inflation in starting salaries for both temporary and permanent employees.”

“Surveys like this give us a real insight into the job market as a whole, and how candidates and employers are navigating these evolutions and challenges.”

Visit the Hales Hub to view all our previous candidate and client surveys plus more!

Cybersecurity, News

Only a third of CIOs cite cyber-risk mitigation as a performance measure

London, United Kingdom, 23rd March 2022: While 94% of CIOs acknowledge some form of serious threat over the next 12 months, only 27% list business continuity and resilience as a top-three priority during the next 12 months and barely a third cite risk mitigation as a measure of performance. These findings come from the fourth and concluding section of the 2021 Global CIO Survey from Logicalis, a global provider of IT solutions.

The study which surveyed 1,000 CIOs from around the world, finds that nearly half of respondents (47%) see data breaches as the biggest risk to their organisation (an increase of 6% from last year). Following data breaches, CIOs state malware and ransomware (39%) as other key areas of concern.

The perceived risk of a data breach is likely to have risen due to the increase in borderless workforces as employees continue to work from home or adopt hybrid working practices. When they occur, data breaches can lead to a range of issues from loss of business-critical data and stalled business growth, and in the most serious cases – the complete shutdown of a business.

Less than a third of CIOs (30%) cite lack of staff awareness as a security issue, down from 50% last year. This perceived improvement in staff awareness is due in part to an emphasised investment in additional training and technology measures to mitigate security risks. In fact, over 50% of CIOs state their organisations invested in employee security training this year, likely to help prevent data breaches originating from employee activity.

Other areas of investment include:

  • Security technology – 66%
  • Business continuity planning – 40%
  • Third-party support through expert MSPs– 35%

However, CIOs still feel their organisations have a long way to go in investing in comprehensive security measures. Despite the rapidly increasing cybersecurity risks, more than half of businesses (55%) have yet to adopt a cyber-attack recovery plan.

Toby Alcock, CTO of Logicalis says: “Over the last 18 months, many businesses set up interim solutions to cope with remote working with security and disaster recovery very much experiencing a trial by fire. Some measures worked, but more action is needed to secure hybrid workers and enhance business resilience.”

“Businesses should adopt a holistic security approach with the capabilities to detect and respond to threats before they even take place. Predictive outlooks will fully protect the hybrid workforce and empower them to deliver optimal results for customers. Adopting technology to mitigate risk will also help businesses adapt to future obstacles, whether cyberattack-related or further market disruption. With a comprehensive plan, created with advice from a trusted partner, companies can rest assured knowing they’re protected.”

For more information, and to explore additional key findings from the 2021 Logicalis Global CIO Survey, visit here: https://resources.logicalis.com/cio-priorities-business-continuity-resilience-and-mitigating-risk.

News

Majority of UK ecommerce SMEs report service issues with Payments Service Providers – but fear switching, finds survey

  • Only 5% of UK SMEs have no issue with their current Payment Service Provider (PSP)
  • More than half of SMEs (52%) are frustrated by slow response times
  • Fear (29% worry about adoption costs), uncertainty (31% worry a change will impact CX), and contract lock-in (28%) are preventing UK SMEs from switching PSP

London, UK, 03 March 2022: Mollie, one of the fastest growing payment service providers in Europe, today shared initial findings from a survey examining the state of the UK ecommerce sector, through the lens of small and medium-sized (SME) merchants. The assessment of the 500-strong representative cohort reveals a lack of proactive advice and support from Payments Service Providers (PSPs) but also a fear of switching.

More than half of SMEs (52%) reported being frustrated by slow response times. Nearly two in five (39%) complain that communications methods are not appropriate to their needs, and over a third (35%) say that their biggest frustration with their PSP’s customer service is the lack of issue resolution. Over one third of businesses surveyed have unresolved issues and a staggering 95% of those report service issues – just 5% were completely satisfied with the service they receive.

In the last two years a third (34%) of UK SME ecommerce merchants have switched PSP and a further 37% have considered switching. Only 12% have never changed and 9% have never even considered it. The main reasons for switching, or considering a switch, are cost, complexity and poor customer support, but there are a number of factors that prevent switching.

Uncertainty surrounding the potential impact on customer experience (31%), fear of the costs of adopting new technology (29%), and complications with switching (28%) are the key factors preventing UK SMEs from switching PSP. Also ranking highly is the feeling it is too risky (23%), a lack of internal skills to manage the change (18%); and integration concerns (28%). For almost a third (28%) of UK SME ecommerce merchants, contractual lock-in was a major factor preventing switching.

“UK SMEs are quietly dissatisfied with their payment service providers, accepting and working around unresolved problems and unresponsive support. Fear, uncertainty and lock-in prevent them from switching,” says Josh Guthrie, Mollie’s UK Country Manager. “Amazon already accounts for more than 30% of UK ecommerce sales and this will intensify, threatening UK SME growth ambitions. UK SMEs deserve better – they need PSP partners with hosted onboarding to ease switching, a superior checkout experience to drive conversion and dedicated customer support that can help SMEs compete and grow, not just process their payments.”