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'Devastating and out of touch' - independent retailers react to Budget bombshell

1 Nov 2024

Independent retailers across Britain have reacted with dismay to yesterday's Budget, with many warning of store closures, job losses and cancelled expansion plans.
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Devastating Budget Delivers Triple Blow to Independent Retailers, Says ACT and Bira

30 Oct 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) and the ACT have condemned today's Budget as the most damaging for independent retailers in recent memory, with... Read more…

Retailers paying one-third of all UK business rates despite making up only 9% of economy

30 Oct 2024

Retailers and hospitality businesses are paying three times their economic share in business rates, according to analysis by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and UK Hospitality.
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How much cash do you still accept? Independent cycling retailers can respond to this survey today

30 Oct 2024

ACT parent company Bira is working with UK Finance and other organisations who form the UK’s wholesale cash industry to gain vital information to ensure businesses get the best possible... Read more…

Bira Conference a huge success with ACT members in attendance

25 Oct 2024

ACT members were in attendance at the hugely successful Bira Conference in London last week, featuring an inspiring line-up of speakers providing valuable insights from independent retail... Read more…

Bira cautiously welcomes retail sales growth but calls for continued support

11 Oct 2024

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor for September 2024
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FSB launches blueprint to revitalise UK high streets and boost tourism

3 Oct 2024

The Federation of Small Businesses has launched a new initiative, which it says aims to transform high streets across the UK, by advancing economic, social, and cultural benefits, while also... Read more…

Award-winning gin distillery to open new shop in Morecambe

3 Oct 2024

A family-run gin company is set to open a new distillery and shop in Morecambe.
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‘Largest independent bookshop in the country’ to open in York

3 Oct 2024

Independent booksellers Topping & Company will open a new bookshop over multiple floors in central York in autumn 2025.
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Three quarters of British shoppers would ban paper receipts on eco grounds, new data shows

3 Oct 2024

3 in 4 Britons (77%) would ban paper receipts if they knew how many trees were cut down to generate them – and millennials are the most eco-conscious (rising to 87%).
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Customer experience placed at the height of importance by brands post-lockdown

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

escalatorsThere is no question that the lockdown will change the way that consumers shop in the long-term. Research suggests that customers now place a higher value on customer service than they did before COVID-19, but that they still may feel uncomfortable physically visiting many shops for a long-time as of yet.

While we have seen a great shift towards online shopping over the last few months, it is now time to start really encouraging customers to walk through our high-street doors once again.

According to Retail Times, the extent of the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 mean that it is not just front-line retail workers that need to focus on the customer experience. Businesses across all sectors are being forced to look for new ways to engage and support their clients and customers in the absence of normal activity.

This new emphasis placed on customer service means that brands will need to adapt accordingly. As experts at the KPMG Nunwood Excellence Centre put it: "We are entering an ‘integrity economy', one where the ethics of an organisation are as important as its products and services." 

KPMG's international think tank undertook research to identify the top 50 brands that are currently bossing customer experience since the COVID-19 lockdown. 23 of the top 50 brands in its Customer Experience Excellence ranking for 2020 are retailers.

TV shopping channel QVC led the way, finishing second in the ranking behind internet bank First Direct, which retained their top spot from 2018.

John Lewis & Partners rose up the list to fourth, one place ahead of Lush, while Lakeland and Marks & Spencer also made the top 10.

The KPMG Nunwood Excellence Centre suggests there are now six key pillars to driving the customer experience: integrity; resolution and innovation; expectations; time and effort; personalisation; and empathy. The Centre goes on to define each pillar and provide 'Golden Rules' that any business aiming for outstanding customer relationships must go by.

This new post-lockdown era will mean many businesses having to rethink their business models and adapt to shoppers current wants and needs. Read more about the KPMG's six key pillars and how you can learn from 2020's top Customer Experience brands to recover from a pandemic and come back stronger than ever.

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