fizzback

06 Sep 2007
Netimperative
www.netimperative.com

 

WOMEN “HARDER TO SATISFY” THAN MEN FOR SHOPPING

Men are nearly 22 per cent more likely to give positive feedback on a service, product or retail experience than women, according to new research.

 

The poll, from customer feedback firm Fizzback, showed that men scored at least three per cent higher than women on an overall ‘satisfaction rating’, taken after going shopping.

 

When it comes to enjoying the shopping experience as a whole, females fair worse. On average, men come away feeling more satisfied following a bout of retail therapy than women.

 

The analysis was done by measuring feedback and satisfaction levels from men and women after a retail experience.

 

Rob Keve, CEO of Fizzback, said: “These findings prove what we may have always known – than men and women have fundamentally different attitudes towards retail. Men are much more likely to go into a shop, get what they need and come away feeling as though they’ve done a good job.

 

“Women expect more from the retail experience, and will notice things like poor customer service, unhelpful staff or below-standard products, and give a more negative rating accordingly. Because men expect less – in as much as they tend to see shopping as a necessity rather than a pleasure – they are perhaps more likely to give a positive rating for the limited amount of good service they did receive, rather than penalising the shop for not giving them the excellent service they felt they should have received.”

 

The survey also found that customer service from retail staff elicited the highest levels of response – both positive and negative – among both sexes, showing that we value service above all else in the retail experience. The things most likely to generate negative feedback about staff were: availability (63.7 per cent), attitude (16.5 per cent), knowledge (10.1 per cent), efficiency (6.7 per cent) and pushiness (three per cent).

 

Keve says: “It is clear that we value good service and helpful staff. Focusing on these things can really help a retailer to differentiate themselves in a tough market. Both men and women appreciate good service – but women are more likely to give negative feedback on a bad experience. But by making it easy for both men and women to give feedback, shops can make a real difference to the retail experience.”

 

Fizzback’s instant feedback lets consumers provide positive or negative feedback at the point of experience, using easy, fast and direct channels, such as text or email.

 

According to the company, customers are more likely to respond when they are given the opportunity to feed back ‘in situ’, ie. immediately a situation arises (rather than after the event), and when provided with electronic communication channels.

 

Fizzback’s response rates are up to 900 per cent higher than other traditional feedback methods, so give a more reliable view of the customer experience.

 

Keve added: “Traditional methods of capturing customer feedback are unreliable for gathering honest opinion on how a company is performing. Many customers will remain silent – either they can’t be bothered to report back what they think of a product or service, or they may be embarrassed by confrontation. Even those that do wish to convey their experience may only be able to tell half the story, as by the time they do feed back, their memory of the experience may have dimmed or ‘the moment’ has gone.”

 

http://www.netimperative.com/2007/09/03/Women_men_shopping