Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business. You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Cashierless shopping isn't what the customer wants

Consumers want better connections with businesses

The preference for person-to-person interaction likely has to do with the level of service small businesses deliver. Fifty-three percent of surveyed consumers said small businesses provide better customer service than larger businesses.

While 70% of surveyed consumers think Amazon hurts small businesses, more than half reported that they don't shop less at small businesses because of the e-commerce giant. Seventy-one percent of respondents said that they continue shopping small to support their local communities.

Surveyed consumers also want to continue the conversation with their favorite small businesses online. Nearly 40% of consumers think small businesses should improve customer engagement through social media.

Beyond neighborhood support, consumers want to support "Made in America" products as well. Approximately 70% of surveyed consumers would spend more money at a local shop that sold exclusively American-made goods.

"While big-box brands are forced to prioritize uniformity across their markets, small businesses can - and should - emphasize what makes them different," said Steve Rowley, executive vice president of Cox Business. "From service to customer loyalty, small businesses are known for personalized experiences that will ultimately allow them to survive in the ever-increasingly competitive commerce segment."

While many surveyed consumers say they do their part to drive the growth of small businesses, majority feel that the US government is not pulling its weight. When asked if the federal government was doing enough to support small business growth, 69% of surveyed consumers felt that it could be doing more. Specifically, surveyed consumers think the government should offer more tax incentives and support programs for veteran-, minority- and women-owned businesses.

Other interesting findings from this year's survey include:

• Seventy percent of respondents said they would spend more money at a small business that supported a positive social or environmental cause
• Just over half of surveyed consumers reported that they would stop supporting a small business if the causes they supported weren't in line with your social or environmental views
• Diverse and inclusive hiring was an important factor for 72% of respondents in choosing whether (or not) to frequent small businesses
• Small business segments that are outperforming others in the industry, seen as being "above average" by surveyed consumers, included restaurants, food and beverage stores, retailers like florists and novelty shops, and building supply dealers (think hardware stores and garden centers).

"Year over year, our annual Small Business Week survey allows our team to get a glimpse into how and why today's consumers continue to make the decision to shop small," said Rowley. "We're seeing interesting trends in social consciousness among shoppers, as well as important stances on what roles technology should play in the retail experience. This information allows us to better understand the needs of our customer's customer, thus making our solutions more tailored to business owners."

For more details on the 2019 Cox Consumer Pulse on Small Businesses, visit https://www.coxblue.com/smallbusinessweek

Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business.

You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy. Grab this goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, technologies, research, suppliers and partners, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid CX strategy.

While most marketers could list maybe a dozen key points for improving their brand's Customer Experience (CX), the researchers and writers at The Marketing Factbook have identified FORTY main 'CX Keys' which will help you drive your customers to new levels of delight, loyalty, advocacy and profitability.

The areas in which customers have direct contact with your organization are perhaps the most obvious places in which CX improvements can be made, and this report addresses all 24 of these 'Direct CX Keys', applicable to offline and online businesses alike.

At the same time there are many other areas that indirectly affect CX (such as the supply chain, policies and processes) in which every business can make simple but far-reaching improvements. This report guides you through the problems and solutions for all 16 of these 'Indirect CX Keys', many of which are often forgotten or under-played even in the best CX strategies.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)