Research firm Dunnhumby recently conducted its Customer-Centricity Index (CCI) survey focusing on apparel retailers and highlighting the importance of putting customers at the center of your business.
The survey revealed Sportscene and Woolworths as the top ‘customer-centric’ apparel retailers, offering best communication to their customers, right products as well as the best service.
Dunnhumby identified seven pillars – Affinity, Communication, Range, Rewards, Price, Promotion, and Service – that customers highlight as the aspects of the shopping experience that matter most to them. The survey establishes a CCI score per apparel retailer and then maps which of the seven pillars drive each retailer’s respective CCI score.
1. Affinity – A strong connection between the store and the customer. Help customers to get everything that they need and having their expectations surpassed.
2. Range – Having the right products and a strong variety to meet customers’ needs. The best companies don’t try to carry every possible product but make sure to carry the products their customers want.
3. Service – Making the shopping experience easy, enjoyable, and convenient. The best companies make customers want to share their positive experiences.
4. Promotions – Leveraging promotions on the items that are most appealing and often purchased by your current customers. The best companies promote the products that matter most to their customers.
5. Price – Providing prices that are perceived to be in line with what the customer is looking for, on the products they purchase most often. The best companies don’t have to be the price leaders but need to have pricing that customers see as fair.
6. Communications – Personalising the message to customers, based on what they buy and delivering it in a way they like. The best companies provide tailored, relevant communications based on customer preferences.
7. Rewards – Rewarding and recognizing your customers in a consistent way that is relevant to how they want to be rewarded. The best companies reward customers in the ways they prefer for how they shop.
According to the recent CCI survey, the most ‘customer-centric’ apparel retailers were a mix of local and new international entrants.
See the leading retailers below:
Affinity – Woolworths, Fabiani, Country Road
Communication – Woolworths, Sportscene, Edgars
Price – Pep Stores, Mr. Price Sport, Pick n Pay Clothing
Promotion – Woolworths, Edgars, Jet
Range – Woolworths, Cape Union Mart, Sportscene
Rewards – Pick n Pay Clothing, Edgars, Woolworths
Service – Woolworths, Fabiani, Sportscene
Well, this is an interesting survey, also an eye opener to retailers to pull up their socks on the above-mentioned pillars.
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