Customer is king, poll tells retailers

Britain’s struggling retailers are driving shoppers from the high street with poor customer service.

In a poll of more than 5,000 UK shoppers, researchers found nine out of ten people will leave a shop with their money unspent if the service is not good enough.

Market Force, the customer research group, said some retailers may mistakenly believe consumers prefer to shop online, so customer service is not as critical as it once was.

Pollsters found 79 per cent actually preferred to shop in-store because of the service they have come to expect.

Four out of ten said the biggest frustration from shop staff was lack of interest in their needs.