Brits not fooled by flashy festive ads

Written by Scott Thompson

03/12/2015

Retailers could be wasting millions on Christmas campaigns if they fail to deliver a great customer experience, both in-store and online, all year-round. A third of UK consumers say poor customer service would negatively affect their enjoyment of a retailer’s Christmas ad. That's according to a Dyn survey of 2,000 Brits, conducted by YouGov, which also finds that 38 per cent cite a slow loading website or site that crashed as the most frustrating things to happen when purchasing goods online.

Paul Heywood, MD EMEA, Dyn, says: “Assigning huge budgets to their annual Christmas adverts is a waste if retailers don’t put customer service and satisfaction first. Brands that leave customers disappointed through bad shopping experiences find that, as a result, their Christmas adverts fail to engage with UK consumers in the way they intended. This Christmas, retailers need to think about the entire customer journey, from the advert all the way to the online checkout. Consumers will only be willing to spend their money with retailers who not only offer the best prices for products, but who also provide the best and most consistent customer experience, both online and in-store. Christmas adverts alone are not enough to spread feelings of goodwill: retailers need to be engaging with consumers through high quality online experiences 24/7 in order to ensure powerful, positive brand perception all year round.”

As for this year's festive offerings, Sainsbury’s Mog’s Christmas Calamity stuck its claws into John Lewis’ Man on the Moon, topping the poll of the UK’s favourite Christmas adverts.