The perception gap between retailers, sales assistants and shoppers.
The front line is where the action happens – and employees who are in the thick of daily operations get a real feel for what’s happening. In retail, this is where sales assistants interact with customers. When retail decision makers are removed from the front line, how well do they know what the customer wants and what their employee needs?
Zebra’s 2019 Shopper Vision Study revealed that there are clear perception gaps between retail decision makers, sales assistants and shoppers over customer satisfaction levels.
Perception: Sales assistants provide help and useful information
From our study, 81% of retail decision makers believe that shoppers are satisfied with the level of help store assistants offer, while only 78% of store assistants believe this to be true.
The reality: Only 62% of shoppers are satisfied with the level of assistance they receive.
So, what do we make of these perception gaps? If shoppers aren’t as satisfied as retailers or store employees believe, then it’s clear that there is an opportunity to improve the customer experience. When customer satisfaction levels increase, retail sales are likely to follow.
Over half of the shoppers surveyed in Zebra’s 2019 Shopper Vision Study responded that store assistants equipped with the latest technology provide a better in-store shopping experience, and the majority of retail decision makers and employees agree.
Zebra’s study also found that 62% of shoppers surveyed prefer to order out-of-stock items in the store and have the item delivered, yet only 34% of sales assistants are currently equipped to do this.
This 28% gap between shoppers’ expectations and store assistants’ capabilities represents missed opportunities for more potential sales.
Retail technology solutions like enterprise mobile computers empower sales assistants with the capabilities for barcode scanning, price checks, or inventory lookup, as well as the ability to process payments or order out-of-stock items for customers. Rugged tablets can display product features better on their large screens – offering greater customer interactions that allow them to engage with products unavailable in-store.
By equipping store assistants with the right tools on the front lines of service, they have instant access to valuable information and can have an immediate positive impact on the business. Barcode scanner-equipped handheld mobile computers or rugged tablets can provide the performance advantage retailers need to better equip employees to answer customer questions, save the customer time, improve the overall in-store shopping experience, and take hold of potential sales opportunities.
To learn more and stay on top of shopper expectations, read the full 2019 Shopper Vision Study here.
