A superior returns process plays a significant role in influencing customer perceptions of a store or company, the latest survey from Opinion Research Corporation on holiday returns suggests. A study of 1,018 respondents revealed that 94% encountered no problems during their most recent return experience. Further, 95% of respondents who returned goods indicated a likelihood of shopping with the store or company in the future.
“It is imperative that retailers keep the returns process as efficient as possible, as a shopper’s experience with customer service often has a huge impact on their perceptions of the store,” said Linda Shea, Senior Vice President and Global Managing Director of ORC’S Customer Strategies Practice.
The study also found that those in higher income brackets were much more likely to make returns than those with an income of under $25,000 (20% vs. 7%). Additionally, 15% more customers came away with an overall better impression of the store or company after their returns experience than a worse impression (18% vs. 3%).
“During the holiday season retailers have a great opportunity to expand—or decrease—their customer base,” said Shea. “In many cases, the returns experience in particular is the customer’s first interaction with the store, so keeping shoppers satisfied will impact both their likelihood of returning and, ultimately, store revenue. With 95% of respondents saying they’d continue to shop at a store after a satisfactory returns experience, our study clearly underscores the significance of getting the process right.”
About Opinion Research
Opinion Research, an infoUSA company, has offered innovative solutions to the toughest market research challenges of clients worldwide since 1938. The firm has been conducting national, speech reaction, state and flash/overnight polls for CNN since April 2006. To learn more, visit www.opinionresearch.com.
About infoUSA
infoUSA (www.infoUSA.com), founded in 1972, is the leading provider of business and consumer databases for sales leads & mailing lists, database marketing services, data processing services and sales and marketing solutions. Content is the essential ingredient in every marketing program, and infoUSA has the most comprehensive data in the industry, and is the only company to own 12 proprietary databases under one roof. The infoUSA database powers the directory services of the top Internet traffic-generating sites. Nearly 4 million customers use infoUSA's products and services to find new customers, grow their sales, and for other direct marketing, telemarketing, customer analysis and credit reference purposes.
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