Leger has released its 2024 edition of the annual WOW In-Store study, a one-of-a-kind study in customer experience measurement.
WOW evaluates various performance indicators specific to retail businesses. Year after year, it reveals the ranking of the Ontario and Quebec retailers that offer the best in-store customer experience. This year, it has expanded to create WOW Western Canada.
“WOW is basically a benchmarking study that we’ve been conducting for almost 16 years. It’s a sector based study where we evaluate the in-store experience of consumers on 23 key dimensions,” said Luc Dumont, Senior Vice President of Insights for Leger.
“It’s really designed to provide some insights to retailers about how consumers feel about the in-store experience. Things like signage, staff courtesy, all of those nuts and bolts of the actual experience when you’re in the store buying and/or just browsing.”
Dumont said that throughout the years of conducting the WOW study Leger has noticed that the human experience has become more and more important.
“Yes, people do appreciate buying things online but in many categories, in many sectors, it just makes more sense for people to go to a store when they want things like advice, when they want to be inspired. So having a store experience that is optimal, that has no irritants or no issues, is really, really important.
“Loyalty with retailers is highly driven by a sense of belonging, knowing that a store is basically designed for people like me, that is for people like me, that it creates an experience that really is aligned with my needs and my expectations.”
Dumont said many consumers have changed the way they shop these days with just over 50 per cent saying they have changed their purchasing habits due to the current economic climate and rising prices.
Some consumers will buy less as they are more careful with their spending. Some will wait, looking for deals, doing more research, looking at flyers more.
“So there’s a lot more planning and preparation that goes into it. More thought basically,” he said.
More than 12,000 Ontarians were surveyed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of 162 retailers across 21 sectors.
The retailers with a score above 90 are included in the ranking of retailers that offered the best in-store customer experience in the last year.
WOW Ontario Ranking
- Lee Valley Tools (96.3)
- Lindt Chocolate Shop (95.7)
- M&M Food Market (93.7)
- Lush (93.3)
- Penningtons/PENN. (93.2)
- The Body Shop (93.0)
- Saje Natural Wellness (92.7)
- Purdys Chocolatier (92.3)
- MAC Cosmetics (91.9)
- Ren’s Pets (91.5)
- Bath and Body Works (91.4)
- DAVID’S TEA (91.1)
- LEGO (91.0)
- Nespresso (90.1)
The report said 52 per cent of Ontario consumers say they have changed their purchasing habits as a result of the current economic climate and rising prices. Of these, 33 per cent say they have made small changes, and 15 per cent say they have made major changes.
The five retail sectors most affected by changes in purchasing habits, measured by percentage of impact, are as follows: Women’s apparel (61 per cent); Perfume, gifts, and beauty products (60 per cent); Natural products, vitamins, and supplements (59 per cent); Supermarket and groceries (59 per cent); and Toys and games (58 per cent).
Because of the current economic situation, consumers in Ontario have made the following changes: 17 per cent are waiting for sales to buy a product; 14 per cent make fewer purchases from specific stores; 14 per cent make fewer unplanned purchases; and 13 per cent don’t buy as many non-essential or luxury products.
The top loyalty, reward, or recognition programs most used in Ontario, measured by the percentage of consumers who use them, are as follows:
- Zehrs (PC Optimum) (98 per cent)
- RCSS (PC Optimum) (94 per cent)
- Loblaws (PC Optimum) (94 per cent)
- Shoppers Drug Mart (PC Optimum) (93 per cent)
- Your Independent Grocer (PC Optimum) (88 per cent)
- No Frills (PC Optimum) (84 per cent)
- Fortinos (PC Optimum) (77 per cent)
- Sephora (Beauty Insider) (70 per cent)
- Global Pet Foods (Pet’s Rewards Program) (68 per cent)
- Chapters Indigo (Plum) (67 per cent)
- Metro (Air Miles) (67 per cent)
More than 6,000 people in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba were surveyed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of 55 retailers across eight sectors.
The retailers with a score above 90 are included in Leger’s list of retailers that offered the best in-store customer experience in the last year.
WOW Western Canada Ranking
- Wine & Beyond (95.7)
- Saje Natural Wellness (93.9)
- Everything Wine (93.7)
- Guardian (93.2)
- The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy (89.9)
- Lindt Chocolate Shop (87.0)
- Nespresso (85.7)
- Remedy’sRx (84.7)
- Purdy’s Chocolatier (83.6)
- The Running Room (82.6)
More than 14,000 Quebecers were surveyed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of 228 retailers across 25 sectors.
The retailers with a score above 90 are included in Leger’s list of retailers that offered the best in-store customer experience in the last year.
WOW Quebec Ranking
- Nespresso (96.2)
- Yves Rocher (96.1)
- Lindt Chocolate Shop (95.7)
- LEGO (95.5)
- Imaginaire (94.6)
- Claire France (94.4)
- Doyle Optométristes et Opticiens (94.1)
- SAQ (93.7)
- Bath & Body Works (93.6)
- Titte Frette (93.5)
- Animo Etc. (92.9)
- Mondou (91.5)
- Cool & Simple (91.0)
- Les aliments M&M (90.8)
The Leger study found that 45 per cent of Quebec consumers say they have changed their purchasing habits as a result of the current economic climate and rising prices. Of these, 30 per cent say they have made small changes, and 15 per cent say they have made major changes.
The five retail sectors most affected by changes in purchasing habits, measured by percentage of impact, are as follows: Jewellery and accessories (58 per cent); Women’s apparel (55 per cent); Lingerie and nightwear (54 per cent); Beauty (54 per cent); and Groceries (52 per cent).
Because of the current economic situation, Leger said Quebec consumers have made the following changes: 14 per cent are waiting for sales to buy a product; 12 per cent have cut back on spending; 12 per cent have reduced their spending on non-essential or luxury products; and 12 per cent made fewer unplanned purchases.
The top loyalty, reward, or recognition programs most used in Quebec, measured by the percentage of consumers who use them, are as follows:
- Metro (Moi) (79 per cent)
- Mondou (Club Câlin) (71 per cent)
- SAQ (Inspire) (69 per cent)
- Provigo (PC Optimum) (68 per cent)
- Maxi (PC Optimum) (64 per cent)
- Pharmaprix (PC Optimum) (63 per cent)
- Yves Rocher (Ma carte loyauté) (62 per cent)
- Pitou Minou et compagnon (Votre carte loyauté) (61 per cent)
- IGA (Scène+) (54 per cent)
- Sephora (Beauty Insider) (53 per cent)
