UK Retailer Experience Poll Sees IKEA No 1.

What customers want has always been a major concern for both brands and marketers. As market conditions change, it is only natural that consumer preferences are changing too.

This is exactly what has happened over the past 12 months as far as UK retailers are concerned. The latest poll by Verdict Research on the nation’s favourite retail brands reveals that last year’s runner-up IKEA has managed to leapfrog last year’s winner John Lewis.

Verdict’s Consumer Satisfaction Index, which combines data from more than 6,000 UK consumers, finds that IKEA excelled in two areas – range of products and price, which shot the brand right to the top of the charts.

This year clothing retailer Bonmarche managed to make it to second position, with consumers being mostly happy with the range of products and their quality. The brand targets a particular consumer group and the positive assessment it received suggests that it caters well for them, comments Maureen Hinton, practice leader at Verdict.

John Lewis still managed to secure the third position in the rankings, with the highest scores in terms of service and the second-highest in terms of quality. Play.com and H&M came fourth and fifth respectively.

Overall, there are no surprises in what consumers look for in a retail brand. The key factors that determine their attitude remain price, quality, service and range, Hinton summarises.