New York, NY – StellaService, an independent provider of customer service performance metrics for online retailers, today announced findings from The Omni-Returns Experience Report, a new study exploring the benefits and challenges of omni-channel offerings including buy online, return in-store (BORIS).
Evaluating the ease, speed, and clarity of the BORIS experience for 25 retailers across multiple categories including Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Apple, Gap, Sears, J.C.Penney, Macy’s, and others, the report details how large retailers are connecting in-store and digital channels. With over three quarters of multi-channel retailers evaluated by StellaService now offering buy online, return in-store, the Omni-Returns Experience Report highlights the growing importance of omni-channel and details areas for improved revenue growth and enhanced customer experience.
As a growing number of retailers continue to make strong investments in and develop their omni-channel strategies, the report, with fieldwork conducted by ICC/Decision Services, underlines how and where retailers are falling short, and what is required to improve the BORIS experience. Among the findings in the Omni-Returns Experience report:
- Retailers missed the opportunity to save the sale or upsell 87% of the time.
- 40% of retailers offering BORIS did not consistently make the option clear to shoppers in packaging.
- Shoppers took over a minute on average to locate the return area in-store.
- Associates did not pass StellaService’s quality evaluations during 22% of in-store experiences.
“This research highlights how dynamic retailers have been in developing their omni-channel offerings – building the infrastructure and capabilities to handle a growing number of multi-channel transactions,” said Kevon Hills, VP of Research at StellaService. “What’s exciting is the huge opportunity BORIS creates for revenue growth, with retailers now having the opportunity to either save the sale or upsell customers in a way not previously available.”
StellaService has previously issued trend specific reports on buy online, pick-up in-store (BOPIS), Christmas cutoff dates, as well as Stella Benchmarks, a quarterly ranking of customer service performance across leading retailers.
About StellaService
StellaService is dedicated to creating a world with better customer service – helping businesses achieve it and consumers find it. Leveraging a national network of full-time mystery shoppers, StellaService evaluates the customer service and fulfillment abilities of the Internet’s top retail sites on a daily basis. The objective data powers Stella Metrics, the only platform for measuring, benchmarking and improving the end-to-end service experience across dozens of operational metrics in areas such as chat, email, phone and fulfillment. The data is also harnessed by Google as part of its Seller Ratings program, which helps consumers identify retailers with the best customer service.
Founded in 2010, and with over $35 million in venture funding, StellaService is headquartered in New York City. For more information visit www.stellaservice.com.
About ICC/Decision Services
ICC/Decision Services is a privately held company headquartered in New York City serving customers around the world. ICC/Decision Services offers more than 35 years of hands-on experience designing and executing highly successful in-store Customer Experience Management programs, including Mystery Shopping, Customer Intercepts and Customer Satisfaction Surveys. Beyond data collection, the company provides strategies for improvement.
The management team has more than a century of expertise developing creative solutions for some of the world’s leading retail brands in many of the largest retail vertical markets. For more information visit www.iccds.com.