Shoppers feel ignored by Singapore retailers 40 per cent of the time, new research shows.
They believe that feedback does not reach the relevant department or right employee, while online shoppers feel that the same holds true 39 per cent of the time.
They were among 1700 shoppers surveyed by experience-management software firm Qualtrics, which serves more than 8500 enterprises worldwide.
Its survey shows that shoppers in Singapore believe that complaining via social media, surveys or directly to an employee does not ensure their feedback reaches the right people within the company. Despite that, they still expect retailers to respond promptly to their questions and complaints, especially on social media.
When sharing feedback on an offline retailer’s social-media page, 31 per cent of shoppers surveyed say they expect a response the same day, while 78 per cent expect a response within a few days. For online retailers, 36 per cent of shoppers expect a same-day response while 74 per cent expect a response to take a few days.
With 61 per cent of shoppers – 68 per cent when it comes to e-commerce – saying their expectations of offline retailers are shaped by social media, friends and family referrals, retailers need to be able to live up to customers’ perceptions, says Qualtrics.
Important elements
Its survey shows that an ideal brick-and-mortar experience lies in the availability of a wide range of products, with the least important factor being automatically emailed receipts. For online shopping, the most important element is clear product pictures and details, while least important is the ability to receive email support.
Other data points…
■ 16 per cent of shoppers expect retailers to respond to their email question or complaint the same day while 22 per cent expect the same from online retailers
■ 28 per cent of shoppers will drop a retailer without notice if they experience a major service failure, while 29 per cent will do the same when it comes to online retail
■ 50 per cent of shoppers (51 per cent online) like a retailer more than before if their problem is resolved quickly
■ 72 per cent of shoppers (68 per cent online) blame a retailer if an employee is unfriendly or unhelpful.
Qualtrics Asia-Pacific/Japan MD Bill McMurray says there is an “experience gap” in retail, which refers to the gap between the experience companies believe they are delivering and the experience their customers are actually receiving.
“The challenge for companies is to close this gap by improving the level of customer experience they provide.”
Qualtrics launched in Asia Pacific and Japan in late 2014 and now serves more than 600 clients with software that measure, prioritise and optimise the experiences organisations provide across the four business foundations of customer, product, employee and brand experiences.
