The Retailer Summer Edition 2021

SUMMER 202 1

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While many are happy to return in-store, post-pandemic customers won’t necessarily revert to the shopping behaviours they favoured pre-covid”. ‘‘

• 53% said they would shop more in-store for health and beauty products • 54% chose in-store for homeware and DIY • 51% would do more in-store shopping for fashion and footwear But the effects of the pandemic will have a long-lasting impact on what customers expect from their in-store experience –while 65% of respond- ents reported that they are likely to visit a shopping mall or equivalent in the next six months, their key requirements for returning are: • Increased health and safety measures, from controlled numbers in the physical store to protective screens and hand sanitising stations • Being able to see and touch products • Ability to quickly and conveniently navigate the store to find the products they’re interested in • Knowledgeable and responsive store associates • Access to the full product range As Kingston University’s business and consumer expert Dr PatriciaHarris puts it, ‘Some shoppers…find it easier and more convenient to go to a physical shop, look at/touch/try merchandise and talk to sales staff than to search for and compare products online. There are significant cognitive costs associatedwith online shopping – its scope and flexibility are appreciated by shoppers, but it can also be bewildering, leading to frustration, fatigue and a sense of reduced self-efficacy.’

It all comes down to one simple emotion. What shoppers want is to feel happy - with their visit, with their purchases and with their experience, wherever it happens. Delivering happiness depends on being able to offer the best of both worlds – the range, convenience and safety of shopping online coupledwith the social, personalised, human experience of shopping in-store. A good experience is centred around where they feel safe making pur- chases. Retailers’ strategies for the future must embrace the concept of customer- and clienteling-driven service delivery, from ensuring that store associates have all the tools they need to answer questions about sustainability and social responsibility to providing customers with the same high-quality experience wherever they choose to engage with it.

Sarah Friswell sarah.friswell@redant.com

What shoppers want is to feel happy - with their visit, their purchases and their experience, wherever it happens”. ‘‘