Footwear Insight

30 • Footwear Insight ~ March/April 2018 footwearinsight.com The Seven Keys to Customer Satisfaction By Bob McGee I f shoe-buying customers are "delighted" with the entire purchasing experience, they are more likely to recommend a brand to others. Unfortunately, according to a December 2017 study of more than 10,800 North American consumers by Marketforce Information, 30 percent were not satisfied with their most recent shopping experience at a shoe retailer and 32 percent were less likely to recommend the particular shoe retailer to a friend or family member. So what went wrong? The study, heavily skewed toward women (73 percent of respondents) and those who had shopped for shoe fashion at their favorite retailer over the past 90 days (76 percent), shows generally low ratings for most aspects of the shoe shopping experience. The three most cited complaints were: Speed of checkout, ability to find correct size and value received for money spent. Others included—overall store atmosphere and the ease in finding what they were looking for. More than 80 percent of respondents were seeking out casual (57 percent) or sports footwear (25 percent). Of the 51 percent that were helped by a sales associate, 75 percent were assisted by an associate finding the specific merchandise or size they were looking for followed by checking whether the style/shoe model was on sale (35 percent) and checking availability in other stores or online for a specific style or size desired. Meanwhile, 18 percent of sales associates helping shoe-buying consumers suggested complementary items or accessories. And Marketforce Information found that only 56 percent of sales associates "fully understood" what the customer wanted. The 24-page report cites seven specific factors that drive customer satisfaction in the shoe-buying experience and retailers and brand that do the best job with various aspects of the overall experience. For instance, DSW has the least problem experiences (4.6 percent) with its customers and Nike was named the best (71 percent) at resolving consumer purchasing complications. (Note: the study did not distinguish between brand- owned stores such as Nike and multi- brand stores, such as DSW). The seven customer satisfaction factors were: • merchandise selection • value for money spent • store atmosphere • the ability to create a "look" • ease of finding what one is looking for • speed to checkout • ability to locate the correct size Generational leanings toward particular shoe retailers are also highlighted by the study. Interestingly, Nike shoe buyers are the most evenly split between between Millennials (43 percent) and Generation X (44 percent). Skechers (8 percent) and Famous Footwear (22 percent) had the least followers among the 18- to 34-year age set. Skechers (41 percent) and DSW (27 percent) had the largest number of Baby Boomer/Silent Generation customers, those 55 years old and older. And in Marketforce Information's "Composite Loyalty Index," Nike (45 percent) and Skechers (44 percent) were tops with the Swoosh flat and Skechers gaining 200 basis points year- over-year. Shoe Carnival was the biggest gainer, up 400 basis points from the 2017 study to 36 percent; DSW was the only decliner, falling 100 basis points to 40 percent. Elsewhere, Foot Locker held its CLI at 39; Payless gained 200 basis points to a CLI of 33 and Famous Footwear jumped 100 basis points to improve its CLI to 32 percent. O Merch selection Create a "Look" Value Easy to find Atmosphere Speed to Checkout Size options RESEARCH

• Cover