UK shoppers abandon retailers that charge for returns

More than a quarter (26%) of Brits have switched from a brand they were once loyal to due to the introduction of paid returns, according to the latest research from SAP Emarsys.

The study, released ahead of the Shoptalk retail tradeshow, reveals that 18% of UK consumers actively describe the introduction of returns charges as “unfair”; 13% have even thrown away an unwanted item after failing to return it.

With almost half (49%) of shoppers abandoned a brand they were...

30 March 2023 | Big Data

8 out of 10 people believe organisations take customers for granted

A customer buying fruit.

Most people feel that organisations have become impersonal and lost their ‘human’ touch, instead prioritising cost-cutting and functionality.

This is according to a new national survey by customer-led growth company The Foundation.

The survey coincides with the publication of 'The Human Experience: How to make life better for your customers and create a more successful organisation', which offers solutions to the issues highlighted in the survey.

Conducted...

22 February 2023 | Best Practice

21% of consumers never want to hear from retailers

A gnome holding a sign that says 'go away'

Just 16% of UK consumers think that retailers react to their feedback, despite 69% of businesses claiming to do so.

This is according to new data released by Emarsys, an SAP company. The company's research, which surveyed both consumers and retailers across the UK, highlights the struggle to keep up with customers and identifies a number of disconnects between the two. It found that 28% of UK consumers believe their feedback is being used purely for marketing purposes rather than...

19 January 2023 | Advertising

Creating a recession-proof marketing strategy 

Someone taking a dollar out of a wallet.

Rob Freedman, head of growth marketing at Zuper, shares three surefire marketing strategies that can help withstand today’s recessionary environment.

Well-known advertising executive Bruce Barton famously said: “In good times people want to advertise; in bad times, they have to.” 

If marketers have learned anything over the past two plus years, it is that competition is growing, inflation is climbing, and consumers are spending more time online than ever...

3 January 2023 | Automation

Navigating the choppy waters of social commerce

Islands in a rough sea.

Marcel Hiollerbach, chief innovation officer at Productsup, analyses the current social commerce landscape and how businesses can use tech to minimise commerce anarchy.

Social commerce’s domination has been a long time coming with 44% of the world’s population already using social media. Turning these growing platforms into commerce platforms was a natural next step with brands and retailers jumping on the opportunity. As such, the social commerce market is rapidly expanding,...

28 November 2022 | Commerce

One in four now make majority of purchases online

More than a quarter of Brits now make the majority of their purchases online - an increase of 18% when compared to shopping pre-pandemic, according to new data. 

In a survey of 4,000 international shoppers, in seven different territories, it was found those living in the UK were most likely to have changed their shopping habits over the past few years.

Global business messaging provider Esendex surveyed customers in the UK, United States, Australia, France, Germany,...

25 October 2022 | Commerce

Marketers predict wide-spread metaverse adoption

A cartoon of a women enjoying the metaverse.

Marketers are gearing up to take full advantage of the metaverse, according to Sitecore’s 2022 Perceptions of the Metaverse report.

However, despite bullish intentions to invest heavily, there is clear acknowledgment that consumer education is needed and 78% of marketers plan to work harder to educate consumers on the benefits of the metaverse. The survey asked almost 700 global marketers (including over 300 based in the UK) and 2,001 consumers about their perception of the...

20 October 2022 | Best Practice

42% of customer queries to leading UK retailers go unanswered

A telephone off the hook.

More than two fifths (42%) of enquiries are being ignored or left unanswered, with just 13% answered in full and in a timely way.

This is according to a new report that has revealed significant failings when it comes to customer service performance across the UK’s leading retail brands.

The Convers-AI-tional Nation Report, conducted by customer engagement platform CM.com, analysed the performance of the UK’s top 25 retail brands, according to annual turnover...

3 October 2022 | Best Practice

65% of app marketers trialling new ways to target paying users

Nearly two thirds (65%) of app developers and marketers are searching for new ways of targeting new paying users without IDFA, cookies or data privacy issues.

This is according to the latest research from AdTech company Bango. Even with Google’s recent announcement that they are postponing the removal of cookies once again, changes such as Apple’s decision to restrict IDFA, and mounting government legislation, are forcing app developers and marketers to rethink their...

7 September 2022 | Commerce

Shoppers to shun online retailers who charge for returns

Nearly half (47%) of consumers wouldn’t shop with an online retailer that charges for online returns, according to new research from product performance management (PPM) platform ROI Hunter.

The research, which surveyed 2,015 UK consumers, found that price is still the most important influencing factor in online purchasing decisions. As a result, even a small uplift could run the risk of putting shoppers off at a time when many have already changed their shopping habits just to...

26 August 2022 | Commerce