Queuing continues to dampen spirits in London with 53% of consumers getting frustrated as a result of long waiting times in-store, reveals Qudini survey
Long waiting times revealed as the biggest cause of frustration amongst shoppers living in London
Research conducted by Qudini, an award-winning London based SaaS customer experience management platform offering queue management software and appointment booking software to retailers, with over 2,000 consumers has revealed that 53% of consumers living in London have had a service experience ruined as a result of queuing in-store.
The findings were revealed in the company’s latest whitepaper ‘The cause of customer complaints‘, which highlights the frequency and cause of poor customer experiences in the United Kingdom. The survey revealed that waiting in line was the top reason why consumers were getting frustrated in-store ahead of complaints such as rude and unhelpful staff (46%), unavailable stock (39%) and lack of available staff (40%). To add to this, 19% of those people who experienced poor customer service revealed that they had experienced it on five or more occurrences, indicating that brick and mortar retailers are failing to take on board customer feedback leading to increased dismay among the public.
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Across the board, shoppers in Liverpool (58.1%), Brighton (57.9%), Birmingham (57.8%), Norwich (57.1%) and Leeds (55%) are more likely to complain about long waiting times. Those living in the North East, London and South West regions are more likely to complain on social media and the least likely to suppress their dissatisfaction compared to those living in Scotland. It went on to highlight that East and West Midland regions who are more likely to complain directly to a staff member with East Midlands consumers are 10% more likely to have had to deal with a poor in-store experience and 17% more likely to have experience it on a regular basis.
Commenting on the findings, Imogen Wethered, CEO & Co-founder, said: “Although these statistics offer startling insights into the reality of the state of the brick and mortar retail industry with consumers in London becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of proactivity on the part of retailers to improve the store experience; it also offers an incredible opportunity for those operating physical stores to be able to take on board and improve the in-store customer experience ahead of the busiest shopping period of the year.”
“The fact that the top four out of the five challenges reflect more transient, personal matters is positive news for retailers. These areas can easily be improved upon, without the need for significant financial investment. Improvements can be made by aligning technology, processes and training staff and retailers should use this time to innovate and think of customer experience from the outset.”
