Only 50% of retailers believe they offer the same level of customer experience online as they do in-store, according to iAdvize research.
The company surveyed 500 retailers and also found that 22% believe that their customer service levels are distinctive and valued, with half stating their customer service is better than that of their competitors.
Julien Hervouet, CEO and Co-Founder, iAdvize, comments: “There’s a huge disparity between the personalised, human touch that can be offered in-store and the level of customer experience that is available online. Today it is all about the power of emotion, conversation and relationship building. As customers’ expectations continue to grow at rapid speed, retailers are quickly realising the need for a multi-layered approach including the use of third party independent experts, offering authentic advice.”
“The research findings show that information and advice is in fact the main driver of customer service, highlighting the misplaced assumption that the customer’s online purchasing journey is finished once you get them to your website – which couldn’t be further from the truth. The importance of personalised relationships with customers has been heavily over-looked and in order to gain and retain customer loyalty, brands need to assist their customers as much as possible in their decisions across their entire shopping journey.”