42% of customer queries to leading UK retailers go unanswered

A telephone off the hook.

More than two fifths (42%) of enquiries are being ignored or left unanswered, with just 13% answered in full and in a timely way.

This is according to a new report that has revealed significant failings when it comes to customer service performance across the UK’s leading retail brands.

The Convers-AI-tional Nation Report, conducted by customer engagement platform CM.com, analysed the performance of the UK’s top 25 retail brands, according to annual turnover...

3 October 2022 | Best Practice

65% of app marketers trialling new ways to target paying users

Nearly two thirds (65%) of app developers and marketers are searching for new ways of targeting new paying users without IDFA, cookies or data privacy issues.

This is according to the latest research from AdTech company Bango. Even with Google’s recent announcement that they are postponing the removal of cookies once again, changes such as Apple’s decision to restrict IDFA, and mounting government legislation, are forcing app developers and marketers to rethink their...

7 September 2022 | Commerce

Shoppers to shun online retailers who charge for returns

Nearly half (47%) of consumers wouldn’t shop with an online retailer that charges for online returns, according to new research from product performance management (PPM) platform ROI Hunter.

The research, which surveyed 2,015 UK consumers, found that price is still the most important influencing factor in online purchasing decisions. As a result, even a small uplift could run the risk of putting shoppers off at a time when many have already changed their shopping habits just to...

26 August 2022 | Commerce

Outsystems enables Sodexo Engage to better deliver customer rewards

A parcel with a gift tag.

OutSystems, a specialist in high-performance application development, has revealed that Sodexo Engage has deployed its platform to deliver a robust and secure, fully managed service for its public sector customers, in just 12 weeks.

The future-proof platform allows public sector customers of Sodexo Engage to offer both eVouchers and Bulk Voucher Cheques to their employees via desktop and mobile devices, as well as the ability to process high volumes of vouchers. It also removes...

22 August 2022 | Commerce

Two thirds of marketers increase in-store investment to lure consumers to high street

Busy square during the pandemic with people wearing PPE

67% of marketers are investing in more engaging in-store experiences to attract people back to the high street.

This is according to new data from In-Store Digital Engagement company M-Cube, which surveyed 250 retail and marketing leaders in the UK to discover whether the high street is playing catch up following the pandemic.

The findings revealed that the majority (27%) of retail leaders say consumers will return to the high street fully. Interestingly, 26% of...

18 August 2022 | CMO

A quarter of Brits plan to sign up to more subscription services

Netflix on a tablet.

24% of UK consumers plan to sign up for more subscription services, according to a survey conducted by Recurly, a subscription management and billing platform.

The study also revealed that consumers are more loyal (59%) and tend to spend more money (45%) with brands and businesses they subscribe to.

Conducted this year, the survey of more than 2,000 consumers highlights that most (93%) spend up to £150 per month on subscriptions, and are now more willing to spend their...

13 June 2022 | CMO

Faltering consumer confidence sees expectations around spending plummet

A pile of £20 notes.

Almost a quarter (24%) of consumers plan to spend less across six key sectors: travel, luxury, retail, automotive, technology and financial services.

This is according to new research from RAPP and Code (part of Omnicom Precision Marketing Group). Two years of a global pandemic, economic uncertainty and now macro-level global events have unsurprisingly caused consumer behaviour to constantly shift, making it hard for brands to keep up. Now as confidence hits rock bottom, brands...

14 April 2022 | Commerce

CHILI publish raises €10 million to help firms scale on-brand graphic production

A bundle of red chilli peppers.

CHILI publish, a creative automation software specialist, has raised €10 million to accelerate solution and community development, attract new talent, and boost the company's go-to-market and sales operations in Europe and the US.

The cash injection was led by Connected Capital with participation from existing investors Group MC, Pamica and PMV.

CHILI publisher is a cloud-based Creative Automation platform that enables brands and agencies to create, edit, and share...

30 March 2022 | Branding

43% of Brits ditch online checkouts at the last minute in favour of Amazon

A supermarket checkout.

14% of consumers browse online stores every day without any intention to buy anything at all, according to a study by Ve Global.

In addition, the tech ecommerce specialist's report, in which 2,000 British consumers were questioned, reveal that while in the early stages of the research process, 37% of consumers are adding items to their basket to save them for later, not necessarily to purchase.

The report shows that the missed sales opportunity for retailers lies in the...

4 March 2022 | Commerce

NICE and Google Cloud partner on digital conversations and self-service experiences

self service checkouts

NICE, a provider of enterprise software solutions, has collaborated with Google Cloud to address the growing demand for more effective and automated customer self-service systems that integrate with traditional contact centres. 

NICE is integrating its cloud-based, AI-powered CXone customer experience platform – used by 85 of the Fortune 100 companies – with Google Cloud Contact Center Artificial Intelligence (CCAI), a group of APIs that bring the best of Google AI to contact...

18 November 2021 | Automation