Multinational customers, universal priorities

In its latest research into consumer shopping behaviour, business software provider Sterling Commerce commissioned Ipsos MORI to carry out a survey in the UK, France, and Germany to find out what was most important to customers when shopping via multiple channels. The top two concerns were “always having accurate product stock availability” and “easier ways of ordering and receiving items”.

In the UK, 64 percent of respondents said accurate stock availability was very important to the overall shopping experience, whilst 56 percent said easier ways to order were very important. In France, the figure was fairly similar. Fifty-eight percent of French consumers rated up-to-date product availability as very important, and 51 percent said easier ordering was very important.

To German consumers, the priorities flipped. Easier online ordering methods and a smoother receipt of items ranked more highly than whether the retailer had accurate stock availability displayed on its website—46 percent compared with 31 percent.
What all countries agreed on was that when placing an order by phone “staff always being able to deal with enquiries about orders and purchases’ tracking and delivery status” was most important to improving the overall shopping experience. Half of all UK respondents cited it as a top priority, with 47 percent of French shoppers, and 33 percent of shoppers in Germany.