CUSTOMERS STILL DON’T FEEL SAFE

Businesses have been under enormous pressure to adapt to meet government restrictions, but according to a survey carried out by the MSPA, customers still don’t feel safe when visiting retailers and food outlets.

Members of the public visiting over 2,000 UK locations in October and November reported that:

·        Customers were ignoring safety measures in almost half of the locations visited (44%)

·        Staff were not adhering to social distancing guidelines in 1 out of every 5 locations (22%)

·        4 out of 10 customers were not wearing masks (40%), but alarmingly neither were 2 out of 10 staff (22%).

These huge gaps in compliance mean that the time and money being spent by businesses telling their customers ‘we are open’ is being wasted.

Customers may be reluctant to venture out based on what they’ve heard from others, and if they do, may not return due to the fear alone.

This fear factor could be contributing to significant losses in revenue as 11% of the survey respondents said they felt too unsafe to complete their transaction.

The findings show a direct correlation between safety protocols being in place, and whether or not a customer will recommend a location to their friends of family. When all safety protocols were in place, the rate at which customers would recommend was 9.2 (out of 10). This drops considerably to just 3.7. when the safety protocols are not in place.

Customers feel safe when they see:

·        Sanitation

·        Signage

·        Staff & customer social distancing

·        Staff PPE

·        Customers wearing masks

Customer expectations of businesses in general are still as high as ever and when they do go out shopping, they do not want to be disappointed. At Mystery Shoppers Ltd, we surveyed 800+ people and 50% told us they felt their expectations were the same as before lockdown and 24% had higher expectations!

When we asked whether customers thought that businesses had adapted well to the changes, some of the comments given were:

‘Initially well organised but as time went on got a bit lax - sanitiser at entrances to supermarkets etc. control of shoppers in shops, sanitisers for wiping down trolleys, initially policed but then left to shoppers with no control, often sanitisers empty, poor disposal of wipes, dirty dripping sanitisers. I carry my own.’

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‘Inconsistent- smaller companies seem to have adapted better and quicker.’

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‘Many businesses have adapted well but to drum up custom, others fall onto old practice easily which is worrying as social distancing is important.’

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‘Lot of companies used it as an excuse to put prices up.’

Despite these disappointments, customers are patient. 40% of the people we asked said that as customers, they felt they were more patient now than they were before COVID-19.

With that in mind, businesses need to be trying hard to win back their customer’s trust by making them feel as safe as possible when in store. Things that can be done immediately:

1.      Ensure procedures are clear across all locations and ensure your customers are aware of what you’re doing to keep them safe.

2.      Carry out COVID-19 Safety assessments to see which locations are falling behind.

3.      Implement training at those underperforming stores.

4.      Monitor these locations regularly to ensure training has been effective and drive ongoing improvement.

The light is at the end of the tunnel but it is still hugely important to maximise every opportunity that walks through your door. Don’t let health and safety compliance be the reason your customers decide to switch to a competitor.

Contact us to find out how to ensure customers leave smiling, albeit behind their masks. www.mystery-shoppers.co.uk