London, UK – As the UK economy slides back into recession a significant 61% of consumers buying premium products and services say they will not reduce their online spending in 2012, as revealed by a survey conducted by Leapfrogg, the online retail marketing agency.

This is great news for premium and high-end brands in light of gloomy economic reports for Q1 of 2012, especially as 30% of respondents say they will purchase more online due to good service and increased confidence in using online channels.

This is even more surprising considering that the average household salary of respondents is just GBP23K per annum. To take advantage, retailers need to prioritise customer service during the online shopping experience and should include consumer research as part of their digital marketing strategy.

The survey reveals the significance of understanding the online shopping journey, with over a third of consumers using the web to compare and check prices. For 20% of respondents, online search is used for product inspiration and research. Surprisingly, only 14% use online to search for offers or vouchers, emphasizing the need for premium retailers to provide quality products, competitive pricing, useful information and great service over quick-win approaches such as voucher codes.

Naturally, 39% of respondents say that lower prices would encourage them to shop with a premium brand but refreshingly, for 21% of consumers quality of product and great service is enough of a pull to encourage a luxury spend. To remain competitive, premium brands will need to ensure that the communication of product information and an excellent shopping experience is provided.

Rosie Freshwater, managing director of Leapfrogg comments, “Premium and high-end brands shouldn’t be tempted to undersell themselves by overusing voucher codes and heavy discounting. Consumers are willing to commit to higher prices as long as the shopping experience and customer service is as good as their purchase.”

In relation to the importance of the shopping experience, Freshwater continues, “Considering customer needs and optimizing the online shopping journey at every stage is paramount for increasing customer acquisition and sales. Premium brands need to know their customers inside out and consider every angle of the shopping experience from the perspective of the consumer; this should be a core aspect of retail marketing strategy for high end brands.

Premium retailers need to make the whole consumer journey easy, from start to finish, not overlooking the importance of offline interactions such as delivery options and of course post-purchase customer care.”

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Chicago and Glasgow – Sword Ciboodle, a global provider of customer solutions, and customer experience advisory thinkJar, released the results of a research survey targeting US and UK companies with medium- to large-sized contact centers on their use of social media specifically for customer service.

With nearly 400 responses from around the globe, and representation from more than 10 industry verticals, the research helped to reveal insights into how organizations are leveraging social channels for customer service. The analysis covers topics such as the longevity and maturity of the social customer service practice, the integration of social channels with traditional channels, and the decision and selection criteria used to determine social customer service programs.

Survey results indicated that social channels have been strongly embraced, with 59 percent of organizations having adopted Twitter and 60% adopting Facebook, and almost 85 percent of those who have adopted one, have adopted both together. However, while social channels are widely used, participants showed that justification and validation of social customer service is proving to be a challenge.

There are a variety of differences in how social channels are used, and factors such as an organization’s size, industry and geography also play an important role. Integration of data, as well as finding the right balance between social customer service and more “traditional” channels, is an important part of what companies are wrestling with.

The size of the company is an additional factor in the maturity of its social customer program. For example, 40 percent of respondents in companies with 1000 or more contact center agents say that their social customer service initiatives have been in place for at least two years. In contrast, 53 percent of companies with smaller contact centers say that current programs were implemented within the past year to two years.

The reasons behind the move of all companies, regardless of size, to social customer service is customer driven, with 56 percent of respondents implementing social customer service due to customer request, compared with 40 percent that put the programs in place to keep up with competitors.

“The direction social channels is headed when it comes to customer service is fascinating and a true ‘game-changer’ for businesses,” said Esteban Kolsky, principal and founder of thinkJar. “The trick is to truly understand how to navigate this hyped-up, yet semi-mysterious ‘customer service frontier.’ This research report is a must-have for all organizations who want to really know where to go with social in customer service.”

“What’s important for every organization to realize is, while social channels are constantly evolving, they are not new anymore,” said Mitch Lieberman, Vice President of Market Strategy at Sword Ciboodle. “The most successful customer service program will happen for businesses who incorporate social into their overall customer engagement practices, and really keep pace with the way their customers are communicating with them in all areas.”

To download a full copy of the research “We Are Social: The State of Social Customer Service”, which includes full survey research findings and conclusions, visit: www.sword-ciboodle.com/socialcustomerservice.

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