Customer satisfaction levels in the UK are at an all-time low. The most recent index from the Institute of Customer Service gives the country a customer satisfaction score of 75.8 out of 100, a significant deduction from the record high it achieved in 2022 and the worst it’s fared since 2010. These findings imply a growing trend in which businesses are not adequately meeting consumer needs—despite the fact that a third of Brits are willing to pay more just to receive better customer service.
In times like these, it can help to follow the example of companies from sectors that continue to satisfy customers, even as other businesses find it more challenging to do so. Among the standouts is eyewear eCommerce. In this space, the UK currently dominates a European market worth $11.8 billion (£8.8 billion). That share is expected to expand further with more British consumers willing to spend on prescription and even luxury eyewear through more convenient and accessible online platforms.
Given how remote the digital buyer’s journey can be compared to purchases made in physical stores, customer service is an essential cornerstone that’s bolstered the success of the UK’s eyewear eCommerce industry. In particular, these three strategies illustrate how various online retailers have been able to keep customers happy despite low satisfaction levels across the country.
More transparent returns
A company’s return policy can be crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and retention. That’s especially true in eCommerce, where buyers cannot physically assess products before purchasing them. Short return periods that cost the customer can particularly impact trust. As such, it’s no wonder that the UK presence of popular eyewear brand Ray-Ban continues to experience healthy sales: it offers customers a forgiving and transparent return policy. Though best known for its sunglasses, Ray-Ban now boasts a diverse eyewear collection, including prescription eyeglasses that can accommodate vision correction needs. Delivering the same design and quality that can be found in its bestselling sunglasses, like the Clubmaster and Erika, these are designed to extend Ray-Ban’s appeal from those looking for fashion accessories and UV-blocking eyewear to individuals searching for corrective aids.
Those expanded offerings attract even more customers to the brand, which is why Ray-Ban has a comprehensive return policy in place to ensure satisfactory purchasing experiences. It allows shipments to be sent back within a generous 45 days of receiving them—without additional cost to the customer. However, the brand goes even further by providing a dedicated Track My Return tool on its website. By simply entering their return number and email address, customers can keep an eye on how their returns are being processed. Thanks to this added transparency, Ray-Ban can easily calm the usual anxieties customers may experience when making returns, improving their satisfaction and overall experience when purchasing from the brand.
Accessible feedback channels
Collecting, analysing, and acting on feedback is vital for improving on pain points, addressing missed opportunities, and ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction down the line. That’s why it’s crucial to ask for feedback at all stages of the buyer’s journey. However, that may be more difficult for customers to do online. The average response rate for both physical and digital surveys in the UK is 33%, and it can be hard to motivate customers to answer them if you don’t offer perks like raffle entries and discount codes. We’ve also noted a significant feedback gap after product delivery, with a quarter of customers not filing complaints with brands—even if they’ve experienced delivery issues after ordering online. These issues can be attributed to inaccessible feedback channels. Pair Eyewear, which recently began shipping to the UK and Australia, handily clears that hurdle by leveraging social media.
The brand is most popular for selling customisable eyewear designed to appeal to kids and young adults, with its fun frames boasting licenced designs drawn from famous franchises like Harry Potter, Sesame Street, and Marvel. Given the youth of its customer base, it’s thus no surprise that Pair Eyewear maintains a strong presence on the social media platform it frequents the most: TikTok. Here, the brand is known for its speedy responses to queries covering everything under the sun, such as lens options and shipping policies. It’s also tagged in videos related to its products, allowing it to collect relevant and organic feedback it can act on. That’s on top of the robust customer service it provides on its official website, which links to its customer hotline and email address. This holistic approach has allowed the brand to maintain steady levels of customer satisfaction, boosting its bid to expand shipping to more countries around the globe.
Passionate customer service
When it comes down to it, the quality of a business’ responses to customer queries can influence overall satisfaction. That’s why integrating emerging technologies can be risky. In particular, AI chatbots—when used incorrectly—can inundate customers with irrelevant responses, increasing their frustration with a brand. That can leave a long-lasting impact: we’ve noted that 34% of consumers are willing to completely stop interacting with a company that they believe doesn’t use AI correctly. That makes it crucial for eCommerce brands to find that balance between maintaining the human touch in customer service while taking advantage of AI’s efficiency. Specsavers UK is among the online retailers that have struck that balance effectively.
Best known for its health advocacies and extensive catalogue—which ranges from eyeglasses, sunglasses and contact lenses all the way to hearing aids—Specsavers prioritises putting people first when it comes to customer service. It responds to all queries made via phone, email, and online chat solely with the help of live agents. More specialised concerns on eyewear and assistive hearing devices can be made to the retailer’s network of qualified optometrists and audiologists. Though Specsavers does leverage AI, it only does so to improve the accuracy of its virtual try-on features. Only using emerging technologies where they matter the most has helped it take a more passionate and human approach to interacting with consumers, and that’s arguably what helped Specsavers win an award for excellence in customer satisfaction this year.
