Your App Downtime Could Ruin the Holidays for Consumers

When you think of the festive season, you probably picture spending time with those that matter most, lounging on the sofa watching Holiday movies or buying gifts for your loved ones. 

What you might not realise is that all of these activities involve the use of applications and digital services. Whether it’s online shopping platforms, streaming services, or messaging apps, consumers today rely on online applications and digital services during the holiday. 

And this is a fact most consumers are fully aware of. 

According to a Cisco Appdynamics' festive pulse survey, over half of UK consumers view applications as crucial for enjoying the holiday experience, while over a third worry that poor digital service performance could ruin their holiday celebrations.

Not only that but just under half of consumers will not forgive applications that fail during the festive season, reflecting a zero-tolerance attitude towards subpar digital experiences.

Many consumers also admit that a bad digital experience could threaten household harmony, while 20% fear that they will become so angry that they’ll start behaving like the Grinch!

The thing is when apps don’t work as they should during the holidays, your consumers feel it. Many of them rely on digital services – from streaming to shopping to messaging – even more during the holiday break, so when things go wrong, they’ll notice. 

The Festive Experience

Among all the ikey service issues consumers are concerned about according to Cisco’s report, banking app failures were their biggest worry, with over half of consumers saying a banking app crash would impact their holiday experience. 

Other key worries included messaging platform issues and retail app downtimes, both of which just under half of respondents tools Cisco would ruin their festive spirit. 

“In the digital age, brands face increased pressure to ensure their applications perform flawlessly during the holidays, a time when consumer expectations are at their peak,” said James Harvey, CTO Advisor, EMEA at Cisco Observability. 

“Poor digital experiences risk customer loyalty, revenue, and brand reputation. Ensuring yoru applications are running smoothly is crucial for optimizing digital experiences and ensuring customer satisfaction.”

Saving the Holidays with Observability 

When it comes to protecting your brand from digital disruption during the holiday season, Harvey said that implementing observability would be crucial. 

“As digital services become integral to holiday festivities, seamless application operation is essential. Application observability, therefore, is key in delivering exceptional digital experiences that resonate with the holiday spirit,” said Harvey.

“For brands, focusing on robust application performance and observability is vital for meeting consumer expectations and enhancing the festive season.”

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