As consumer behaviours continue to evolve as a result of COVID-19, retailers need to review their sales and fulfilment channels as customer satisfaction will be an increasing market differentiator in the coming months, was the advice from research firm, GfK in a recent webinar.
Alongside traditional pain points such as out-of-stock items, GfK research has identified the emergence of new friction points including higher price points for products, reported by 33% of survey respondents and checkout lines that are too long, reported by 17% of survey respondents.
Although only 9% of respondents mentioned delivery as a concern, GfK expects this could increase over time with many courier services and Australia Post under significant pressure with increasing parcel volumes and lower capacity on international routes.
“Physical distancing and hygiene measures are likely to be in place for some time, so it is worth trying to resolve these pain points as much as possible,” GfK General Manager for consumer research, Rob Highett-Smith said.
“For example, Click & Collect services with separate access points have been implemented successfully at sporting events and theme parks, and could be considered more widely across retail.
“Those that are proactive and act fast to re-engineer their experiences will reap the rewards. The digital disruption brought by COVID-19 is likely to persist and those brands that take advantage of this could develop new engagement models.
“Consumer expectations are evolving, and in addition to Click & Collect being offered, free and fast delivery are also becoming expected of both online and offline retailers. We expect the shift to online to persist beyond the current crisis, so brands need to prepare and adapt now.”