Customer expectations shift amid COVID-19 as some industries win, others lose

The COVID-19 pandemic has rejiggered trust in brands, customer expectations and the pace of everything from digital transformation to data management, according to a Salesforce survey.

Salesforce's 4th State of the Connected Customer report outlines some of the moving parts for enterprises grappling with COVID-19 and shifting consumer expectations. The survey was based on responses from 12,000 consumers and 3,600 business buyers.

Not all industries have performed well during COVID-19. Here are the industries that fared best and worst during the pandemic according to consumers.

A few data points include:

• 90% of customers say how a company acts during a crisis reveals its trustworthiness.
• 48% of customers say they generally trust companies.
• 31% of customers trust a company less due to responses to crises in 2020.
• 88% of customers expect companies to accelerate digital initiatives due to COVID-19.
• 69% of customers want companies to translate existing products and services into new formats such as digital due to COVID-19.
• 54% of customers say it generally feels like sales, service and marketing don't share information.
• 89% of customers expect companies to clearly state their values.
• 62% of customers claim they stopped buying from companies whose values didn't align.