The Context
A global grocery retailer was facing the uncertainties of COVID-19 and through their struggle, they found a perspective
that helped them focus on forwarding progression throughout the pandemic. The grocery chain is known for its simple and
continuous efforts to always improve, and that consistent effort through the decades has helped to expand its market position.
The ongoing and steady growth is proof that the brand’s intention where quality is concerned has greatly paid off.
The Opportunity
COVID brought a heightened sensitivity and sense of uncertainty to most of the global grocer’s guests and staff. Along with the
rest of the world, the retailer hadn’t experienced a disruptor of this magnitude, which left most scrambling to understand how to
best serve their guests and help them feel safe while keeping store doors open.
And while they faced an immense challenge, the retail leader also saw an opportunity to emerge into a post-COVID world equipped with reliable data that would revitalize its customer experience, improve customer retention, and solidify brand loyalty. Moreover, the chain decided to challenge locations to optimize customer experience and increase customer spending.The chain looked at its customer experience through the lens of its business goals. They analyzed key business metrics related to
location eciency, staff measures, and stock availability. The big question was, how do customer experience metrics relate to
other KPIs, and which customer metric should they focus on to drive customer spending? That’s when they turned to their team
at Pearl-Plaza.
The Impact
By linking current store survey data to financial data, Pearl-Plaza helped the brand pinpoint areas in specific locations that could
increase customer spending. The analysis uncovered that locations with the highest percentages of customer spend had,
higher CX scores, lower employee churn, and on average, 34.41% higher rate of positive first impression scores.
The data showed that 64% of customers left a positive in-store survey response, which correlated to an average of 11% higher
spending. With this, the retailer knew if it could improve the number of positive in-store customer survey responses by 5%,
spending had the potential to increase by +€35m* in as little as six months. The brand leveraged Pearl-Plaza’s Explore and Coach tools to sort feedback at the highest-performing locations. Ultimately, the chain worked with its Pearl-Plaza team to identify struggling locations and create an action plan to build opportunities for positive in-store customer experiences moving forward.
The retailer has implemented these measures as a store target in struggling locations, resulting in the proportion of customers
leaving positive in-store survey responses increasing by 3% in the first quarter of the push to meet the 5% goal equating to €21m*.
What’s Next
This global grocer continues to see significant growth as it listens and responds to customer feedback. By consistently aiming to put the customer at the heart of the business, the retailer continues forward progression through its insightful approach despite the
challenges of a pandemic.
Summary
- 11% Spend Increase Tied to Positive In-Store Survey Metrics
- 3% Increase in Positive In-Store Survey Score in the First Quarter
- +€35m* Opportunity in as Little as Six Months
