OC&C's fifth annual Retail Propositions Index has revealed that Lush, Amazon and John Lewis are now the UK's favourite retailers. The index was created after surveying the perceptions of 10,000 UK shoppers and 30,000 international consumers.
Amazon retained the top place in the list and John Lewis held on to second – positions they have held for the past five years – with Lush coming in third. Other top beauty retailers in the list were eBay (7), Harrods (9), Wilkinson (11), Marks and Spencer (13), Waitrose (15), Body Shop (21), Burberry (25) and Boots (29).
The list also revealed that customer service has become a priority for UK consumers, overtaking price as the primary factor influencing how consumers rate retailers overall. Consumers in the US tended to be happier with the level of service received in store with 46% saying they were "delighted" with the service in the US compared to 32% in the UK.
Lush scored the highest ratings for customer service, store look and product quality. John Lewis managed to beat online retailer Amazon in the score for choice for the first time this year.
The listing also highlighted a correlation between good customer service and revenue growth. Retailers which scored in the top 25% for service also saw an average annual revenue growth of 10% over the past five years.
Matt Coode, Partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants, commented: "Our research shows that customers’ judgement of service boils down to five key areas which, in order of importance, are: ease of shop; speed of checkout; personal and expert advice; slick post-sales support; and consistent and seamless service on and offline. It goes to show there is no single formula to winning in service, as exemplified by the differences between two of the best in breed: Amazon with its relentless obsession with efficiency and simplicity, and Lush with its emphasis on staff being attentive and giving useful advice to make customers feel pampered and special.”
Nadya Candy, Global Retail Standards & Customer Experience at Lush added: "Throughout every level of the business at Lush, we understand the importance and care about each visitor we have. We employ teams who are genuinely passionate about people, animals and the environment and these teams work hard to ensure that our customers receive not just great customer service, but a great Lush customer experience which is genuine, exciting and includes our beautiful fresh handmade products. We are happy that our customers appreciate our efforts, as we strive to make every visitor feel welcome and valued."
- Companies:
- Lush Cosmetics
- Walgreens Boots Alliance
- Harrods
- Waitrose and Partners
- John Lewis
- Amazon
