In this week’s TWIRM, we’re putting British shoppers’ loyalties to the test. What matters more to them—what they buy or where they buy it?
TWIRM, as always, is the This Week in Retail Media podcast, where Kate Dickson, Head of Marketing and Communications, Retail Media, STRATACACHE, and Jonathan Rosen, PRN’s Global EVP of Retail Media Strategy, dig deep into three retail media news stories that excite them, intrigue them and even, sometimes, tickle their proverbial “fancy.”
Kate and Jonathan kick off this week’s conversation by unpacking an eye-catching survey of 5,000 U.K. shoppers about where their loyalty lies—with the physical stores they frequent or the brands they buy. Digital gift card etailer Prezzee’s survey finds that nearly 50% are loyal to the stores they frequent, compared to just a third that stand by their brands (33%).
Why does the physical shopping experience win the day? Everybody likes to get out of the house. Or is it more than that—a sense of comfort you feel walking into a familiar space, the brands you want in the aisles you know, a friendly face behind the cash register?
For Jonathan, one key insight is that the physical store is a brand in itself. “A store is the container for all brands,” he says. “On some level, it’s the uber-brand. It’s really the only manifestation of a particular retailer that’s tactile.”
Kate agrees that the physical in-store experience is more enjoyable than digital—if it’s done well. “That tactility, the sensory aspect is something that you just can’t get through a screen,” she says, noting that in-store is high risk-high reward. “When I experience poor customer service within a physical space, I am probably not coming back.”
After musing over Brits’ retail allegiances, Kate and Jonathan stick in the U.K. to discuss Cotswold Outdoor Groups’ launch of a 75-store-strong retail media network, and Holland and Barrett’s new (and kind of creepy, maybe?) wellness app that measures your biological age.
Click here to tune into the latest TWIRM with Kate and Jonathan.
