Fourth edition
2025 Digital Marketing & Customer Experience Report
The fourth edition of our Digital Marketing & Customer Experience Report tracks how consumers search, navigate, review and book — and what that means for multi-location brands.
Insights from 2,122 marketing decision-makers across South Africa, the USA and Australia (76% female).
Download the full report (PDF) ↓Key takeaways
Google's dominance held firm in 2025, preferred by 97.69% of consumers, while 91.32% relied on Google Maps to navigate. Reviews shaped almost every decision — 97.12% read them and 88.03% said positive reviews made them more likely to choose a business. Online booking (75.07%) and a preference for local engagement (68.66%) underline how convenience and proximity drive the customer journey.
The 2025 findings underline two priorities for multi-location brands: keeping business listings accurate across search and maps, and actively managing online reviews at the local level.
Search behaviour
- 97.69% preferred Google as their search method
- 68.94% regularly search for restaurants — the most-searched category
- 37.46% search for a local business daily
Navigation & listings
- 91.32% use Google Maps as their preferred navigation app
- 92.55% would rather interact with a brand that has a store locator
- 61.68% suggest Google Business Profile changes to correct listings
- 71.58% turn to Google for the most up-to-date business information
Reviews
- 97.12% read online reviews for businesses
- 93.26% read a business's responses to customer reviews
- 92.64% name Google My Business as their preferred review platform
- 88.03% say positive reviews make them more likely to choose a business
- 65.78% rate the average star rating as the most important factor
- 64.46% prefer a minimum rating of 4 out of 5 stars
Bookings & service
- 75.07% prefer making an online booking over telephone or other channels
- 67.33% expect a response within 24 hours of leaving a negative review
- 83.50% prefer to receive feedback on a complaint via email
- 68.66% prefer interacting with a local business over the brand head office
Platforms & devices
- 83.17% name Facebook as their go-to social media platform
- 95.38% use a smartphone for online activities
- 17.95% of the 86.36% who used a chatbot found it helpful
Frequently asked questions
- What was the most popular search method in 2025?
- Google, preferred by 97.69% of the consumers surveyed.
- How important were online reviews to consumers in 2025?
- Highly — 97.12% read online reviews and 88.03% said positive reviews make them more likely to choose a business.
- Did consumers prefer to book online in 2025?
- Yes — 75.07% preferred making an online booking over telephone or other channels.
Want the full breakdown?
Download the complete 2025 report, or see how your own locations show up across local search, maps and reviews.