What Customers Expect From Their Favourite Retailers

What customers expect from their favourite retailers

Retailers need to change the way they communicate with customers online or risk alienating them. That’s the conclusion of research conducted by Censuswide for AI-powered customer marketing platform, Ometria.

Three-quarters of people feel most retailers don't understand their interests; the few retailers that are getting this right are setting a high bar for others to follow. Specifically, the report reveals:

61% of UK consumers are bothered when a retailer doesn’t give them special treatment for being a loyal customer

Despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the data fears it sparked, over half (52%) of UK consumers would be willing to give away personal data in return for relevant offers and product information

72% of people are annoyed by getting too many emails from retailers

Despite this attitude to emails, 45% of consumers chose email as their preferred method of communication from retailers, with the next most preferred option – Facebook – only receiving 24% of the vote.

However, the research shows that retailers need to think beyond batch-and-blast when it comes to their email communication. More than half (53%) of consumers stated that they feel valued as customers when companies offer personalised promotions and perks. A tailored, customer-centric approach is no longer just a bonus, it’s an expectation.

Considering the 72% of people annoyed by getting too many emails from retailers, it’s clear that churning out generic email newsletters to an entire mailing list en masse is a model that needs rethinking.

Despite the onset of GDPR and consumer concern over data misuse, the research found that 52% of respondents would be willing to hand over personal data in return for more relevant offers and product information. Women are especially comfortable with this, with 58% happy to give retailers their personal data, compared to 46% of men.

Women are also more likely to respond positively to a personalised offer – with 28% feeling ‘very valued’ when they receive a personalised offer, compared to 19% of men. However, according to Ometria’s research, 46% aren’t fussed about use of their first name, suggesting that consumers have bigger expectations around personalisation than the simple use of their first name in communication.

CEO Ivan Mazour says: “Our research shows a growing intolerance of mass, undifferentiated communication amongst consumers. There is less patience for reading marketing messages about items they’d never want as expectations have evolved to match the bar being set by those retailers at the top of their personalisation game.”

Ometria offers customer insight and cross-channel marketing for retailers.