Retailers ‘fundamentally underestimating' APEX importance, Valitor

34% of UK consumers feel retailers don’t care about them after they’ve made a payment, according to research by Valitor.

The company surveyed 2,005 Brits and also found that rude staff (55%), long checkout processes (38%) and difficulty in finding the right product (34%) are the most likely reasons for customers to avoid a retailer. 47%, meanwhile, are less likely to pay attention to marketing communications from a brand after a bad experience.

Halldór Lúðvígsson, Managing Director, Omnichannel solutions at Valitor, comments: “The After Payment Emotional Experience (APEX) refers to the customer experience after a purchase has been made. Retailers who overlook this part of the shopper journey do so at their own peril; a poor APEX can see them haemorrhage customers, loyalty and sales. However, our research shows that retailers are not only failing to deliver a positive APEX, they are also fundamentally underestimating its importance.”

Daniel Whytock, Co-founder and CEO of Down Your High Street, adds: “When delivering a great customer experience, the more data, information and insights you have the better. The retailers that we see succeeding are those who know their customers and develop a meaningful relationship with them based on this data.”

The research also found that APEX is synonymous with returns and refunds. More than a quarter of shoppers stated that an easy process for these is the most important factor when making a purchase. Here again, retailers are failing to deliver. When it comes to everyday essentials, 57% of women claimed that returning a purchase is ‘rubbish’, as did almost half of male respondents. Half of shoppers also claimed the lack of free returns is the most annoying issue when dealing with a refund or exchange. Over a quarter claim that an ill-defined returns policy is the factor most likely to make them avoid a retailer.