Case Study: Leading Retail Company achieves "incredible" shopping experiences by identifying associates as the key with Service Management Group (SMG)

Leading Retail Company - Customer Case Study

Leading Retail Company enlisted Service Management Group (SMG) to define what creates an “incredible” shopping experience. SMG conducted a panel study—surveying 900 current and lapsed customers with open‑ended questions and applying text analytics—to compare drivers of exceptional experiences across industries and pinpoint whether associates, product, price, or place mattered most.

SMG’s research found people—store associates—were cited in over 80% of comments about incredible experiences, with 38% of people‑related comments calling out being “attentive to needs,” while associates were mentioned in 42% of negative experience comments. SMG used these findings to shape operational changes and targeted training for the Leading Retail Company, emphasizing genuine, helpful engagement, personalized assistance and product sampling to boost positive interactions and reduce staff‑driven negatives.