The move to ecommerce coupled with the recession means that many physical shops are struggling to stay afloat. However Apple is one business that is bucking the trend – opening more Apple Stores around the world and increasing sales through a combination of cool technology, informed staff and training sessions that teach you how to get the best out of your Apple product.So how does Apple do ...
The recent outbreak of sunshine might have driven it from our minds, but the UK suffered from truly awful weather at the start of the Summer. The constant rain has had a real impact on consumers visiting physical shops, according to a report from the British Retail Consortium and data company Springboard.They report a decline of 2.3% in the number of shoppers visiting high streets, shopping centre...
With the Olympic Games nearly upon us, there’s going to be a significant impact on customer service teams, not just in London, but across the UK.Essentially the Olympics will affect customer service in three major areas:Games venues themselves The world (and media) will be watching closely for any issues with the games themselves – whether that is overlong queues to get into venues or ...
Successful retailers understand that knowing your customer is a key part of delivering a tailored experience. In the offline world that can be quite straightforward – you can see the people coming into your shop, ask them questions about their needs and provide the right answers and products.Online it is more difficult – while you can look at the customer journey, it can be hard to bui...
christmas 2007 (Photo credit: paparutzi) It seems strange to be talking about Christmas in mid-summer, but plans for the festive season are well under way at most retailers. Decisions about key products are being currently made and programmes of store refurbishments are happening now as companies seek to be ready for their busiest time of the year. Current poor economic conditions really do ...
Customer services (Photo credit: gordon2208) On the Eptica blog we’ve regularly talked about how social media provides a megaphone for customers to talk about your brand – but despite this new research shows that companies simply aren’t listening.Our own 2012 Eptica Social Customer Service Study surveyed 2,000 consumers across the UK and France on their attitudes to using s...
When it comes to online retail, customers are obviously looking to buy products as cheaply as they can. However price is not the only factor, with a myriad of research studies demonstrating that customer service and the overall experience have a significant impact on where people buy online.A lot of this comes down to trust – customers want to be reassured that their order is going to be dis...
Competition is increasingly tough in the retail sector, with the last few weeks having seen the likes of Clinton Cards going into administration. With spending down, consumers want to maximise how far their money goes – but good service is also central to the experience and retaining their custom.So new research from Which? will make worrying reading for some hard-pressed retailers. It surve...
When Facebook launched its e-commerce platform, a huge number of high profile retailers opened virtual stores on the social media network. Since then many of these have closed amidst poor customer take-up – for example recent research found that just 2% of French consumers would buy through Facebook. However new retailers are still opening F-commerce stores and niche boutiques are recording ...
Competition in retail has never been harder – and the pace of change is ever accelerating. Just as traditional bricks and mortar shops have evolved to have a web presence, they are now faced with the challenge of integrating other new channels, such as social commerce and mobile into their strategies.While social commerce is still in its infancy, customers are increasingly looking to interac...