{"id":784416,"date":"2024-07-29T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=784416"},"modified":"2024-07-29T17:02:27","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T15:02:27","slug":"south-africas-worst-retailer-for-customer-service-and-the-biggest-complaints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/784416\/south-africas-worst-retailer-for-customer-service-and-the-biggest-complaints\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa’s worst retailer for customer service \u2013 and the biggest complaints"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new report has revealed that of the five most popular grocery retailers in South Africa, Pick n Pay received the most customer complaints in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is according to DataEQ’s 2024 South African Retail Sentiment Index, which provides a comprehensive analysis of consumer sentiment toward the country’s leading grocery chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa’s top five grocery retailers dominate the market, catering to millions of customers with diverse needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoprite, the largest retailer, offers a broad range of products at competitive prices. Pick n Pay follows, known for its extensive supermarket and hypermarket chains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spar, with its network of independently owned stores, emphasizes community engagement. Woolworths stands out for its premium, high-quality food products and sustainability focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Checkers, part of the Shoprite Group, targets a more affluent customer base, focusing on fresh produce and gourmet foods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These retailers collectively shape South Africa’s grocery landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DataEQ analysed over 1.8 million public social media posts from 1 January to 31 December 2023 to understand consumer satisfaction and key performance metrics for Woolworths, Shoprite, Checkers, SPAR, and Pick n Pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the data, the volume of online conversations and engagement within the industry witnessed a notable increase, having grown from 1.6 million mentions in 2022 to 1.8 million mentions in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This growth has largely been driven by the retailers themselves, with brand posts having increased by over 180%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry-wide, South African retail Net Sentiment is up from 3.3% to 8.8% compared to the previous year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Net Sentiment is a real-time metric of how customers feel about a brand, offering an alternative to lagging customer satisfaction metrics such as Net Promoter Score. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is measured by collecting unstructured data from publicly available online conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an industry-wide recovery, all five retailers saw year-on-year improvements in Net Sentiment, while Woolworths maintained its first-place rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report showed that Woolworths tops the overall Net Sentiment ranking with a score of 19.5%, 10.7 pp above the industry average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer satisfaction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to DataEQ, the South African retail industry is a highly competitive environment in which players vie to attract and retain consumers who are looking to spend according to value for money while receiving immediate and reliable customer service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three major aspects through which retailers can offer value to consumers: pricing, customer service, and quality products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although customer service comprised the smallest share of voice across these retailers’ online presences, some still received more complaints than others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the data, Pick n Pay was the retailer with the lowest customer service performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They saw the highest proportion of complaints for<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n