Kx RII reveals brands driving growth, loyalty via tech

Kx has released the 2018 Kx Retail Innovation Index (Kx RII), surveying a panel of UK consumers to understand the key drivers of innovation and loyalty.

Unsurprisingly, digital giants Amazon, Apple and Ocado top the leaderboard, but Argos and John Lewis are close behind, delivering stand-out performance for multi-channel. Ikea performs well in the Innovation Index, driven by a passion and focus on innovating around product and price, which is critical to the home category. Competitive pricing was ranked highly across the board, with 76% of UK consumers using technology to help them find value when shopping. And ease and personalisation are key to delivering customer experience through innovation, but shoppers still value human contact, with 64% agreeing it’s important that technology does not remove it.

Of the thousands surveyed, the majority of respondents were influenced by ease and convenience when choosing a retail brand, closely followed by a personalised experience. “It’s not rocket science,” says Thomas Hill, SVP Retail Services at Kx. “The basics in retail have remained the same, but how you deliver them is changing.  Brands need to keep up with the latest technology in order to deliver these better than the competition. The easiest brand to shop with will be the most successful.”