Reitmans and Simons ranked top retail experience in Ontario

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Jan 19, 2021

The customer experience has certainly evolved in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s none other than fashion retailers Reitmans and Simons who are winning the ranks for best in-store and online customer experience in Ontario, respectively.

Based on the '2020 WOW' study by Leger, which evaluates the in-store customer experience and various performance indicators among Ontario retailers, Reitmans took the top spot as the retailer providing the best in-store customer experience, followed by personal care brands Lush, The Body Shop, and Sage in the fourth spot. 

On the top ten list, Canadian outdoor retailer MEC was equally in the sixth spot, while Bath & Body Works and Yves Rocher were number nine and ten, respectively. 

In fact, the survey showed that in general, the in-store customer experience for clothing, fashion accessory, footwear, sports, and beauty product stores, as well as stores targeting a more niche clientele like luxury goods and jewelry, improved significantly compared to last year.

In contrast, most of the declines in the WOW in-store experience index in Ontario were recorded in the convenience store, supermarket, pharmacy, and hardware store and renovation centre sectors.

The study also included a digital evaluation, identifying strengths and weaknesses during the entire online shopping experience. 

Quebec-based retailer Simons took the top spot for best online customer experience in 2020, followed by Lush. Sephora was equally on the list at number four, as well as Amazon at number eight. 

In 2020, the study also explored how the pandemic (including the health and safety measures implemented in stores) has impacted the in-store customer experience.

Twenty percent of consumers noted that the health and safety measures implemented during the pandemic significantly affect their shopping experience. The measures appear to have had a greater impact on customers of beauty, jewelry, and clothing stores.

“In these dire circumstances, measuring the in-store customer experience and ensuring customer satisfaction is crucial. Offering a customer experience that goes beyond WOW in the face of the restrictions in place is essential for retailers’ survival in these trying times,” said Christian Bourque, executive vice-president, Leger. 

The in-store survey was conducted online among nearly 13,000 Ontarians. It studied 145 retailers in 20 sectors where each retailer was evaluated by approximately 400 respondents who have visited the retailer’s store(s) since June 2020. 

Meanwhile, The WOW Digital study evaluated 22 dimensions of the online experience for 173 Canadian websites and apps. The responses were provided by nearly 14,000 Canadians.