New research from Vodafone has revealed exactly what customers look for when considering shopping with an SMB in a bid to help small businesses have their most successful festive period yet.
The report comes as British consumers rein in their spending amid continuing economic challenges, making the findings even more applicable to our startups.
Unsurprisingly, Vodafone has confirmed that a good digital experience is key to a customer’s satisfaction.
Customers want easy online shopping
According to Vodafone’s survey, an easy-to-use online payment process (48%), good online customer services such as instant messaging (32%), and a professional website (31%) are all key to the decision-making process.
Even though these all contribute to a more positive digital experience, the majority of customers (51%) are also looking for positive online reviews.
SMBs are also being advised to promote and capitalize on their SMB status while it lasts. Many choose to support smaller companies because it makes them feel good (55%), or because they feel they’d get a better returns service (38%).
Vodafone has also identified some of the biggest contributing factors leading customers not to choose SMBs – bad online reviews (41%), a difficult payment process (32%), a lack of customer support (27%), and not having a website (26%) are all big no-nos.
Overall, the research serves to highlight the need for an excellent online experience and positive real-time support. In turn, SMBs providing these may turn out to be favourites for many customers.
Those looking to step up their game should consider creating a strong online presence, investing in support, and exploring and providing numerous payment gateway options to cater to a variety of customers.
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