Key Consumer Research Findings

The Study

• The study was conducted in December 2004 by the Verde Group and Consumer Contact. Results represent 1,014 responses from Canadians who made purchases under $2,500 in the four weeks leading up to Christmas. The average purchase price was $160. Results are accurate to within +/- 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

• Approximately 40 per cent of Canadians experience problems when they shop for items valued at $200 or less.
• Shoppers in Ontario are significantly more likely to experience problems than those in Quebec (43 per cent vs. 34 per cent).
• Canadian consumers hate to wait. Most problems experienced relate to having to wait to be served or to pay.
• Customers who experience problems are three times less loyal than those who experience no problems.

• The top problem driving customers away is lack of courtesy and respect from CSRs. This problem will detract 60 per cent of potential shoppers. And for females, this is even more of an issue.
• Customer service reps in Ontario are amongst the worst in the country, as shoppers reported the province's CSRs were not helpful, did not treat them with courtesy and respect, did not appreciate their business and did not properly explain charges and other details of the purchase.
• Consumers are more likely to complain to friends and family about know-nothing customer service reps than any other problem.
• Only five per cent cited a customer service representative's 'lack of knowledge about a product or service' as their most important problem but this issue generated the greatest amount of negative word of mouth.
• Consumers in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia are more likely to experience problems related to front line staff than consumers in Quebec.

• More than 50 per cent of Canadians say they will not even walk into a store if they have heard something bad about it from friends or family.
• Most consumers who experience problems with their retail experience do not complain - instead they take their business elsewhere.