Demographically, catalog shopping is most popular among older Americans. Upper income and more educated consumers are the first to be buying over the Internet, while women make up most of the TV shopping channel patrons. When it comes to how people shop, our survey findings suggest that convenience is king, but shoppers will still go out of their way for a good deal. And sales, specials and coupons are still effective ways of bringing shoppers through the front door. It's true that women, especially young women, like shopping the most.
Customer service is a key part of the shopping experience.
Realizing that where people shop may have as much to do with how they are treated as it does with wide aisles and good selection, retailers have worked hard to keep shopping a personal experience. In general, people are quite satisfied. Americans give a solid 4 out of 5 average rating for the quality of customer service in the store they shop most often, and three out of four say customer service is as good or better today as it was two or three years ago. When it comes to providing good customer service, sales associates are on the front lines. The image of a smiling, helpful sales associate is featured in many retail ads.