Quality of customer experience is better online than in-store

Monday, April 13, 2015 - 11:36 by Graham Miller

A new report has found that consumers are likely to get a better quality of customer service when shopping online, than if they head to the high street. And, crucially, this is in the opinion of the retailers themselves, which shows just where attention is being focused at the moment.

The Dyn survey reported by Retail Gazette, found that just a fifth of organisations think that their customers can enjoy a better experience in-store, with two thirds of respondents saying that online services are much better equipped to deal with the needs of modern consumers.

This includes desktop, mobile and app e-commerce services. Analysts pointed out that even with the faceless nature of safe shopping online, people are still capable of getting more out of the experience than if they head to a bricks and mortar outlet.

E-commerce is not just gaining favour among retailers because it gives them the opportunity to enhance the benefits for customers, but also because it is helping to generate revenue. Thirty three per cent of the companies questioned said that at least three quarters of the revenue they have earned in the past 12 months has been channelled through their online services.

This leaves high street, real world retailers in a bit of a tough position because not only is less money being spent at bricks and mortar outlets, but customers who do visit stores are less likely to actually enjoy their time or find what they need.

Of course, anyone who has purchased a product or service online and encountered an issue will realise that customer service is far from perfect in the world of e-commerce. But the front end experience of finding items and making purchases is definitely a bonus.