In today’s InternetRetailing we’re reporting on what shoppers want from the customer experience – and what retailers and brands provide. We report on new research from Fresh Relevance that suggests that while shoppers want to be able to get in touch with the retailers they buy from through a variety of channels, half of them don’t want to be contacted by them through social media. Rather, customers are demanding a personalised experience that works, the study suggests.
We set alongside this RetailX research into how leading European retailers serve their customers in practice. The Customer dimension of this summer’s RetailX Top1000 Europe 2022 takes a look at the steps that merchants take to smooth the customer journey. It suggests that retailers and brands are gradually improving the speed and effectiveness of customer service, although some are moving away offering useful tools such as product ratings and reviews. And we illustrate this through a case study from the report that focuses on Euronics and the tools that it uses to connect independent electronics retailers across Europe with online customers.
This matters because understanding how shoppers want to buy is all the more important at a time when rising costs and prices are threatening consumer demand, as illustrated in the latest CBI insights into the service sector. However, there may be a note of comforting the latest footfall figures, which suggest that more shoppers did turn out to buy over the Bank Holiday weekend, with visitor numbers on Saturday and Sunday higher than the previous week, and higher than the same weekend in 2021 – but still remaining lower than the same time in pre-pandemic 2019.
Today’s guest comment comes from Elena Gatti of Azoya Europe who looks ahead to the beginning of the peak trading season – and asks how brands and retailers can best plan for Singles Day on November 11.
