Nearly half or 41 percent of U.S. shoppers see human contact as an essential component of the retail shopping experience, and 31 percent believe the pandemic has created a demand for more customized experiences.
Those are primary JRNI research results that polled 2,000 U.K. U.S. and U.S. market preferences on holiday shopping conduct, spending, and retail customer service. In reaction, according to a press release on the results, retailers will need to implement new practices to attract and retain customers for the long term.
43 percent of shoppers are planning to spend less this holiday season and 37 percent are spending less on Black Friday sales, according to the report. Since the pandemic started last March, 58 percent have shopped online for goods that were previously bought in-store and 36 percent have explored the very new possible platforms, including appointment shopping, personal shopping consultations for audio and video, and click and collect/curbside pickup.
On the other hand, 58 percent of U.S. customers are now much more likely than they were previous to the COVID-19 pandemic to make an appointment to visit a shop.
“When budgets are tight, retailers have to work harder to compete for spending. It requires recognizing that consumers are far more advanced and willing to embrace new ways of shopping, on and offline, than businesses give them credit for,” said John Federman, JRNI CEO.
Federman further asserted that they use phrases such as “omnichannel” to describe scenarios as though customers want to move seamlessly across everything a retailer has to offer. However, they had to take the idea somewhere else and think that it’s all about the experience for customers.
“A consumer will choose the experience they want, based on the service or goods they are buying, and then the channel. The businesses that will be rewarded with brand loyalty are those delivering great experiences in stores and online.”
