Product category:
Media
News Release from: fish4
Edited by the Marketingservicestalk Editorial
Team on 20 September 2007
Survey reveals what Brits crave when
shopping
UK shoppers polled in a fish4jobs survey highlighted that what everyone wants when it comes to successful retail therapy are staff with the '3 Ns' attitude - 'Nice, kNowledge, No Problem'.
The fish4jobs research reveals staff who have good manners (83 per cent), are knowledgeable about what they are selling (80 per cent) and have an eagerness to please (76 per cent) are the ones British shoppers would most like to serve them, marking the '3 Ns' attitude as the benchmark for great customer service Unsurprisingly, the survey further discloses that over three-quarters (83 per cent) of British shoppers view shopping in the Naughties as a largely boring experience, only to be further dampened by miserable shop staff (55 per cent), a lack of stock in store (92 per cent) and long queues (95 per cent), which are enough to put off the most dedicated shoppers amongst us
This article was originally published on Marketingservicestalk on 18 Sep 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Fish4 goes live with mobile classified service
Fish4, the UK's leading classified listings website, has made its jobs, homes and cars advertisements available via mobile phone.
Fish4jobs forecasts surge of job hunters
The UK's top online recruitment website, fish4jobs, predicts a record 4 million candidates will register on the site in the first working week of January in search of a fresh start.
Top 5 'retail bugbears' to hit the top of British shoppers' lists are as follows.
1 Staff without suitable knowledge (80 per cent).
2 Staff with poor communication skills (75 per cent).
3 Managers not employing enough staff (61 per cent).
4 Bored looking staff (40 per cent).
5 Staff deliberately avoiding customers (29 per cent).
What's more, a whopping 86 per cent of shoppers have admitted to getting so fed up with the situation that they have left the goods and skulked out of the store in a huff.
It's not surprising that online shopping can seem a more favourable and less painful way to purchase goods.
Aside from displaying the '3 Ns' attitude, Brits admit they would love to be greeted by staff who are on the ball in terms of communication (73 per cent), have enough time to serve properly (62 per cent), are smiley, happy people (61 per cent), wear a clear name badge (17 per cent) and are easy to spot around the store (16 per cent).
Joe Slavin, CEO of fish4, commented: "Good, basic staff qualities are key to making our shopping experiences hassle-free and more enjoyable and a little training in simple customer service techniques can go a long way.
"If retailers need some helpful advice on the subject, then they can visit the fish4jobs site and quickly download an easy guide on how to turn their staff from good staff to great staff".
A full report on the retail sector in Britain is available on request.
London has the highest amount of over-zealous salespeople, highlighted by 20 per cent of shoppers.
Shoppers in the North East are most affected by the customer service they receive whilst doing their Christmas Shopping.
North West shoppers are most infuriated with 'bored looking staff' with 45 per cent citing it as bugbear.
Midlands shoppers are the most concerned region about staff wearing a name badge with 20 per cent saying it affects customer service.
'Willingness to help' is the most required attribute of staff according to Scottish shoppers.
Some 62 per cent of South East shoppers cite 'not enough staff' as their biggest bugbear.
Shoppers in the South West leave Christmas shopping latest with 42 per cent leaving it until December.
Wales is the region with the highest number of shoppers doing their Christmas shopping online.
East Anglia heads the most bored staff league tables with 44 per cent of shoppers reporting grumpy staff.
The survey, which was conducted by Fly Research, used a representative sample of 1,249 GB adult consumers.
Comments from readers
Robert Crawford writes: Great article from Fish4Jobs who are obviously Fishing4Business. But all is not doom and gloom as many businesses give superb service, realising that it makes sound business sense to do so. Have you seen the superb website at www.ukcsi.com
• fish4: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Marketingservicestalk email newsletter
• Marketingservicestalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
