Brits are loyal to their brands – even if it means paying higher prices, according to a survey conducted by OnePoll and ecommerce and digital marketing solutions provider EPiServer.
The survey asked 1,000 British shoppers to discuss their online habits, and 57% indicated that they are more inclined to buy from a retailer they know and trust -- even if that retailer doesn’t offer the best possible prices.
EPiServer's David Bowen said in a press release that the growth of ecommerce has not been particularly detrimental to the loyalty of U.K. consumers to the retail brands that they have used in the past. The survey suggests that retailers shouldn’t just focus purely on having the lowest price because fostering loyalty is more important.
What’s more, the survey shows that one third of respondents had engaged with customer services via sites like Facebook and Twitter. After making a purchase, 35% indicated they had used their social media platform of choice to share their thoughts and feelings about both the product and the retail experience.
More than one third of respondents increased their online purchases in 2012, and nearly half have made a purchase using a mobile device.
“Our research goes to show that the ease of online shopping has not killed brand loyalty and a positive customer experience is still more important to U.K. shoppers than price,” Bowen said. “Retailers shouldn’t just be trying to compete on price. Instead they ought to concentrate on delivering the best possible online experience to keep customers spending.”
Since the survey revealed that price isn’t everything for retailers, that places that much more emphasis on the customer experience.
“There is nowhere to hide online, so a great customer experience is championed widely whilst poor service can spread like wildfire," Bowen added.