For customers when shopping.
New Canstar Blue research has shown that one in five shoppers (21%) say pushy sales staff are the most frustrating aspect of shopping at electronics stores such as Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys.
The second most common gripe reported was the lack of sales staff (17%). The survey found that other top frustrations included stores not stocking the desired items (15%), stores being overcrowded (10%) and a lack of knowledge from sales staff (10%).
Canstar Blue Editor, Simon Downes said good in-store customer service is so important at a time when consumers could easily go home and buy what they want online.
Source: The Friedman Group
“Getting it right is clearly not easy, but the retailers need to be investing the time and effort into their staff on the front line to make sure they get it right more often than they get it wrong.
“Consumers continue to shop in-store because it can still be an enjoyable experience, and if they need to ask questions, they have help at hand. But if that service isn’t up to scratch it’s only too easy for shoppers to get out their smartphones and buy online instead.”
The survey also revealed a lack of trust in sales staff, with just 51% of respondents declaring that they trust the advice of in-store experts over their own research.
Meanwhile two-thirds of shoppers (66%) said they try to negotiate lower prices when shopping in-store, while 37% admitted to ‘showrooming’ – looking in-store but then buying online.