Introduction

A customer satisfaction survey for the retail sector is key to understanding how the shoppers feel and how they can be served better. Keep reading to find out what questions you should ask your customers when surveying them to get the most beneficial feedback and improve satisfaction with your service in the retail business.

Customer satisfaction surveys help retailers better understand customers. Source: Pexels

3 Types Of Customer Satisfaction Survey For Retail Sector

Customer surveys

By providing a structured framework for collecting customer insights, surveys help companies learn about what their customers buy, what they think, how they shop, and what they want to buy.

Customer surveys help management focus. They can ask the most important questions for any given business objective: 

  • How often do you shop at our store?
  • What do you think about our current products?
  • How do you feel about our prices?
  • How would you rate your overall shopping experience?
  • Are our accessibility options sufficient for your needs?

The ultimate goal of these exercises is to collect useful data. The information becomes actionable as retailers refine their customer strategies, increase overall satisfaction, and, ultimately, retain their customers. 

In-Store surveys

Store surveys help retailers get instant customer reactions while they are shopping. These surveys are usually conducted inside the store, or sometimes right outside it, and can yield timely information. They are usually conducted using tablets or paper surveys and are structured to be brief.

The focus of these surveys is often important elements of the shopping experience, such as store cleanliness, store layout, and customer service from sales staff. 

From such information, store owners can quickly make modest changes that improve the shopping experience. It can also make patrons' visits more pleasant and likely to be repeated.

Geofencing surveys

Geofencing surveys involve drawing a virtual perimeter around a location and soliciting feedback from customers who are near this location. 

A company can use GPS or location services to send a survey notification when someone enters or leaves a specific area. This immediate timing likely leads to quicker and more relevant responses.

A key benefit of geofencing surveys is their higher response rate. Respondents complete surveys immediately upon having an experience. This may help to avoid recall errors and other biases. 

Real-time feedback is collected while customers are still shopping or dining. Thus, firms may obtain much richer and potentially more accurate information about their experiences.

3 types of customer satisfaction surveys in the retail sector. Source: Pexels

Which Types Of Questions For The Retail Sector Survey Should You Ask?

Net Promoter Score Question

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an important measure of customer loyalty and satisfaction in retailing. The NPS involves a single question: "How likely is it that you will recommend our store to a friend or colleague?" 

Respondents will give answers based on an 11-point scale that ranges from 0 to 10. Based on the answers to this question, customers are placed into one of three categories:

  • Promoters (those who answer 9 or 10) have very high loyalty levels and are likely to recommend the store.
  • Passives (7 or 8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic.
  • Detractors (0 to 6) are the unhappy customers who can undermine your business. 

NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from Promoters, offering a simple measure of customer loyalty.

Customer Satisfaction Question

The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) is the most common way of assessing customer satisfaction in the retail world. The standard CSAT question is something like: "How satisfied were you with your in-store experience?"

It is followed by responses ranging from very dissatisfied to very satisfied, or sometimes a numerical scale.

Some surveys use emoticons to let customers express their feelings easily. This quick feedback helps retailers measure satisfaction in real time and focus on improving the shopping experience.

Customer Effort Score Question

The Customer Effort Score (CES) checks how difficult or easy it was for a customer to get through their interactions with a retailer. Sample CES questions might ask: 

  • "To what extent did the company make it easy for you to handle your issue?" or 
  • "How much effort did you have to put into placing your request?"

Customers answer by selecting the appropriate rating for their agreement or the quantity of effort required. This metric shows retailers how easily customers can shop, find products, or get issues resolved. It directs them to what needs to change or be enhanced for a better customer experience and satisfaction.

Binary Yes/No Question

Binary yes/no survey questions are simple and effective for gathering customer feedback in retail. Examples include

  • "Did you find what you were looking for?" or 
  • "Was our checkout process easy to use?"

These questions require customers to choose between two clear options: 'Yes' or 'No.' This straightforward format helps retailers quickly gather unambiguous data about customer experiences and opinions. This will make it easier to check customer satisfaction and identify areas for improvement.

Yes-no questions in surveys are essential - Source: Pxhere

General Satisfaction Questions

General satisfaction questions are straightforward multiple-choice inquiries used to assess customer experiences in retail. These questions ask customers to select a rating for various aspects of their visit, such as:

  • How would you rate your shopping experience today?
  • How do you feel about the staff's behaviour and support?
  • How would you rate the store's ambience and cleanliness?
  • How do you rate our return policies?
  • How do you feel about our exchange policies?
  • How would you rate the counter staff?
  • How easy and quick was your shopping experience?

These questions provide details on different areas of customer satisfaction, helping retailers identify strengths and improve weaknesses.

Retail product and pricing questions in surveys focus on gauging customer perceptions and satisfaction regarding the products and pricing offered by a retail business. Common questions include:

  • How satisfied are you with the product or service?
  • How do you view our prices compared to similar retailers?
  • What improvements could we make to the product or service?
  • How satisfied are you with the value for money of your purchase?

Such questions help retailers to know how customers see their products and prices and guide them in making changes to improve both satisfaction and competitiveness.

Staff And Service Feedback Questions

Questions about staff and service in retail surveys also help gather information on the customer service experience. No matter how much customers like the products and the store, they can be affected by poor service. Consider such questions as:

  • How satisfied are you with our customer service?
  • How efficient was our staff in being proactive and helpful?
  • Are you satisfied with the after-sales service you received?
  • Do you think our customer service could be improved?
  • Were staff members able to address your queries effectively?
  • How knowledgeable do you find our staff about the products and services?

Effective management of customer interactions is crucial to ensuring staff can respond efficiently. StringeeX offers an omnichannel contact centre that empowers your team to control all communication channels seamlessly, helping staff deliver better customer service and address queries more effectively.

Questions about brick-and-mortar store experiences focus on how customers feel about the physical location and environment of a retail store. These questions are generally essential in assessing convenience and the ease of the shopping experience. Usually, the survey questions can be:

  • Is our store conveniently located and easy to get to?
  • Are our store hours convenient for your needs when you shop?
  • How would you rate the ambience and environment in our store?
  • How did you like the decor and lighting?
  • Are you satisfied with the availability of parking?
  • Were our fitting rooms clean and presentable?
  • Were you satisfied with the waiting time in the fitting rooms?

Billing Feedback Questions

The questions about payments in a retail customer satisfaction survey aim to assess customer satisfaction with the billing process. Since long queues or confusion during payments can ruin an otherwise good shopping trip, these questions can be used to identify problems and improve the efficiency of billing procedures. Sample payment questions include:

  • How would you rate your overall experience at checkout at our store?
  • Did you have enough alternatives to pay for the item that you were buying?
  • How do you feel about the speed and the simplicity of the checkout process?
  • Did any charges that you did not expect appear on your bill?
  • Did you have any problems during the checkout or payment process?

Billing feedback questions are useful for getting more customer  insights. Source: Pexels

Conclusion

In conclusion, a customer satisfaction survey for the retail sector is a tool to understand customers. By asking the right questions, it can identify the areas where a retailer needs to improve its customer service and processes to enhance customer satisfaction. Contact StringeeX for help with customer satisfaction!