Coolblue has the best customer experience in the Netherlands, according to research by consultancy firm IG&H among 2000 consumers. De Bijenkorf and Bol.com follow second and third. It is surprising that there are no foreign retail chains in the top 5. “Web shops like Amazon and Alibaba do not yet understand the Dutch consumer”, is what retail experts Joris de Bruin and Evelien Kip of IG&H tell us.
“According to the survey, web shops such as Amazon and Alibaba, which are considered the biggest competitors to Dutch shops, do not yet meet the customers’ demands. They can be experienced as confusing and making a purchase often turns out to be unnecessarily complex. This is partly due to the fact of a perceived language gap, and not meeting the high standards Dutch customers have towards user-friendliness of online stores” retail expert De Bruin says.
Previous IG&H research showed that retailers with a relentless focus on personal attention, the right ambiance and inspiring the customer, are most appreciated. “Online, this is what is meant by a user-friendly, attractive website with decision making support. This must be aimed at providing the customer with the right information in order to make the best choice quickly and carefree. Coolblue does this exceptionally well: good filters, extensive product reviews and top-10 choice lists,” says De Bruin. The top 3 is complemented by Albert Heijn and de Bijenkorf, who inspire the customer and create a good atmosphere as well.
It is also worth mentioning that highly-valued web shops outperform the others by means of surprising customers. De Bruin mentions de Bijenkorf and Coolblue as an example. “de Bijenkorf packages all ordered products in a nice box and puts a bow around it for a premium shopping experience. Coolblue has a different approach and provides the packaging with some helpful tips or a dose of humor. It is this kind of small detail that positively surprises the customer. It surpasses customer expectations and that is crucial for a web shop to stand out in the market”.
“Consumer has high expectations for daily groceries”
It is surprising that the supermarkets score just as high as the middle- and high-end retailers on expectations. “Customers do not make a distinction between ‘daily shopping’ or more ‘incidental’ purchases. In both cases, customers remain to have high expectations”, says Kip. In terms of expectations, AH.nl is number 4 and Jumbo is number 6.
On the seventh place we have welcomed a foreign player: Amazon. “Customer expectations for foreign retail chains are not high. Alibaba in particular has a rather low score. Consumers still associate the brand with long lead times and affordable products. The hilarious videos on YouTube in which curious consumers are surprised with a bad buy only confirm that image”, she says.
“Customers expect little service from discount retailers”
Action is number ten, and a retailer operating in the discount, value-for-money segment. “We see the complete opposite as with the retailers from the more expensive segments; a good customer experience is not what the customer expects. The question is whether that is bad. One customer probably gave the best answer: “Action is only about offering the lowest price.” If they continue to meet their strong price proposition, it will not harm them. However, if the general customer expectations in the area of Customer Experience increase further, the question is whether retailers such as Action can adjust in time”, warns De Bruin.
Written by: Evelien Kip (Consultant Retail) and Joris de Bruijn (Manager Retail). Photo: CoolBlue
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