Key Findings -
UK & CHINA
Trolley and baskets
Store layout and aisles
Shelves and freezers
B
ased on the data analysis from the research projects, difficulties that the UK and Chinese elderly consumer currently face have been identified and compared. The following sections explain and discuss common shopping issues between the UK and Chinese elderly consumers.
7 common issues have been explored. The top three common issues that were raised by the participants include: trolley hard to control, size of trolley too big to manage and deep trolleys make it hard to reach for items at checkout. All three common issues are linked with elderly consumers’ physical abilities such as flexibility of body movement and strength. Some researchers have highlighted that as an individual’s age increase, their ability to move, see, hear, learn, remember and handle product decreases. Consumers’ abilities and limitations have considerable influence upon how they shop, therefore, it must be taken into consideration by retailers when designing their service and to aim for understanding cross-cultural differences and issues.
6 common issues have been explored. The top three common issues between the UK and Chinese elderly consumers are: narrow passageways, unclear signage and stores were small. For example, one Chinese respondent highlighted that “the passageway is very narrow. I think the store wants to display more product so they have to narrow the passageway”. One participant from the UK commented that “the signs were not very clear and I must have missed (seeing) a lot of things”.
6 common issues have been discovered. The top three common issues were items placed too high, too low and too deep. Similar as the issues with trolley and baskets, explored issues with shelves and freezers are also linked with the elderly consumer’s decreasing physical abilities and limitation. “If the shelves are too low, then I will have an issue because I have a bit of a knee problem when I bend down” one Chinese participant mentioned.
Product related
3 common issues have been explored which include product labels were unclear, store did not have adequate range of products and location of product was not appropriately placed. It was found that the list of ingredients was important to those with a special diet. “I look at the ingredients – what goes inside. I have to look out for wheat as I can only take gluten-free food… and the expiry dates are sometimes too small”.
Customer service
Checkout
The common issues were customer service assistants unavailable nearby and long queues to customer service counter. 5 respondents highlighted the problems surrounding customer service. Participants commented that they could not find a customer assistant easily. And 3 participants highlighted that long queues to customer service counter was an issues for them.
Additional Feedback
Top common issues were long queues, lifting heavy items at checkout was an issue and checkout area was too narrow. 10 participants indicated that the long queues were an issue. 6 respondents felt lifting heaving items from trolley or basket to checkout counter was difficult and 5 respondents were unhappy with the small checkout area.
The common issue was the elderly consumer would like to have more seats available in the store (18%, N=44). These results are echo to some other studies, which highlighted older consumers preferred to have more in-store seating area in a shopping environment.