Britain’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis continued for a third month in a row, with The Office for National Statistics (ONS) saying gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 6.6% in July compared with the previous month, continuing the rebound from the ending of lockdown*.

Yet what do shoppers think of the retail experience since lockdown ended?

Well, only 20% of them are of the opinion that the sound and buzz of people would improve retail atmosphere, a stat that is consistent across July (23.5%) and August (16.4%), see graph 1.

Furthermore, over half of shoppers find the experience less sociable than pre-lockdown, a statistic that is consistent across July (59.8%) and August (58.6%), see graph 2.

Whilst the majority of shoppers who think that the sound and buzz of a crowd does not improve the experience are women (61%).

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Thoughts from our CEO, Adam Castleton:

"We're continuing to see that shoppers prefer shops with fewer crowds, yet they appreciate the value of music and how this can impact the overall customer experience. Music is also a great way to influence human behaviour. Astute retailers can tap into neurophysiological research and play specially curated playlists that are designed to positively impact the emotional and behavioural response of customers."

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Surveys carried out July and August 2020. Sample sizes (n) >1000 people, UK Nat. Rep. with 95% confidence level & margin of error of +/- 5%.

*The Guardian article: UK Economic recovery from Covid-19 crisis continues. 11th September 2020.