Retailers could be losing out on valuable sales during the festive season by failing to make the shopping experience stress-free, according to new research from Barclaycard.
Six out 10 consumers (63%), from the YouGov poll of 2,098 adults, called on retailers to enhance the stressful shopping experience. The vast majority of Brits (72%) said they got stressed while Christmas shopping, with the figure rising to 80% of women.
More than a third (34%) confessed to abandoning in-store purchases and 28% left online purchases because they experienced poor service. A further 57% said they were less likely to shop with the brand in the future if they experienced stress at Christmas time.
Other key gripes included large crowds (46%), carrying heavy bags (25%), being too hot in store (24%), long queues at checkout and fitting rooms (33%) and items being out of stock (26%).
More than a third of consumers (35%) said that extending opening hours would prove helpful, while 28% said offering free seasonal snacks or drinks would be a ‘sweetener’.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) said that if a retailer offered them a great way to relieve some of the Christmas shopping stress, they would be more likely to shop with them again.
“Christmas is a really hectic time for everyone - retailers as well as consumers,” said Barclaycard customer solutions director Sharon Manikon.
“Just because it’s extra busy, though, doesn’t mean that consumers should be resigned to poor service - whether buying online or in store. In fact, many shoppers have said that if they suffer frustrations at the hands of a brand, they may not return, having ramifications for the business’s bottom line.”
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