Quebecers rate customer care behind competitive price and quality products
When it comes to opening their wallets, Quebecers are becoming less and less interested in good service than scoring a bargain, a new survey shows.
The importance of customer service in driving shopper loyalty in Quebec has dropped by 25 per cent since 2008, a survey by a private marketing firm published yesterday says. The importance of customer service ranked third behind competitive price and quality products in Quebec as drivers of customer loyalty toward a particular brand, according to the COLLOQUY Canadian Retail Loyalty Index, a study of 3,500 Canadian shoppers.
COLLOQUY, a private U.S.-based firm, is the publication and research arm of Loyalty One, the Toronto-based parent company of the loyalty program Airmiles.
“A 25-per-cent drop in Quebec (for customer service) is significant,” remarked Ian DiTullio, director of client services for Loyalty One. “The drop has been more significant in Quebec than in the rest of the country.”
In 2008, the last time the index was published, virtually all demographic groups, including Quebecers, ranked customer service as the most important factor in gaining and keeping their loyalty, with competitive price finishing a distant second.
“Given the tough economic times we’re weathering, a rise in the importance of price in determining loyalty could be expected, but it’s surprising to find that price has risen so dramatically among a consumer’s loyalty priorities,” the study says.
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