• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 21, 2023

Consumers worldwide are more drawn to websites than apps and social media. And they have a dim view of email, judging by a study by Storyblok, a content management platform. 

Of those polled, 42.60% see brand websites as the most valuable channel, versus 34% for mobile apps and 16% for social media accounts. 

How many list email as their most preferred marketing channel? Only 7.59%. 

In addition, 85.30% of consumers are decidedly not interested in using AI when purchasing.

Drilling down, 60% say an AI recommendation would not convince them to buy something, and 17% feel it would make them less likely to purchase.

How are consumers shopping these days? Largely by phone: 70% use smartphones for that purpose.

This reinforces the need for brands to optimize their emails and website experiences for mobile, and not to rely only on apps.

Previous Storyblok research found that 60% of consumers abandon purchases when they have a poor website experience. And brands know it: 48% are embarrassed by their own sites. 

This may explain why only 8.99% of shoppers are willing to try new brands, as opposed to the ones they already know and trust (62.22%)

What drives trust? For 90% of shoppers, it’s content that shapes their perceptions.

Forget influencers: Only 17.78% say celebrity or influencer endorsements will drive them to purchase a product, and 17.89% say it will make them less likely. Another 64.44 say influencers will make no difference. 

"It's easy for brands to fall into the trap of chasing the latest trends instead of giving people what they actually want,” says Dominik Angerer, CEO and co-founder of Storyblok.

As these survey results show, consumers have authentic content and useful websites on their wish list this holiday season, Angerer adds.

Storyblok surveyed 1,000 consumers on November 6. Of these, 51.11% were in the U.S., 42.22% in the U.K., and the remainder were divided between Australia, Germany and Sweden.