UK consumers will not tolerate unsatisfactory shopping experiences

Thursday, April 17, 2014 - 10:11 by Sarah Collinson

A new report has looked at shopping habits in the UK and revealed that consumers here are particularly discerning when it comes to their expectations. Many are willing to walk away from an online basket or in-store purchase if they are not totally satisfied with the experience, according to the Daily Mail.

This low tolerance for shoddy shopping is thought to cost retailers around £5.4 billion over the course of the average year, which means that they really need to work hard to improve their web and high street outlets to maximise conversions.

Seventy per cent of the respondents to the Westfield study said that they use their smartphones regularly when shopping at bricks and mortar stores, while 54 per cent said that they would actually be willing to pay more for having access to self-service checkouts, rather than having to go through a human shop assistant.

When it comes to shopping online, the impact that it has had on expectations over the high street experience is apparent. Almost half of those questioned said that they would prefer their retail trips to be completely faceless, with no staff in-store to bother them, as they browse and commit to a purchase.

People are so used to being able to take their time on sites like Amazon, looking at products and comparing prices across several retailers in one sitting, without having to engage with a salesperson.  Shopping online has none of the more off-putting elements of high street retail, which is almost certainly why it is forcing companies to change the way they do business to keep up.

Thousands of shoppers took part in this study, so it is safe to say that its findings about the state of British retail are conclusive.