Singapore, 28 June 2017 (Wednesday) – The Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at the Singapore Management University (SMU) (新加坡管理大学卓越服务研究院) released the 2017 Q1 Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) results for the Retail and Info-Communications sectors today.

A total of 6,070 locals and 830 tourists were surveyed in face-to-face interviews between January 2017 and April 2017 on their satisfaction levels with entities within the Retail and Info-Communications sectors.

CSISG Results for the Retail Sector

The Retail sector scored 72.1 points on a 0 to 100 scale for CSISG 2017 Q1, a performance similar to the same period last year.

Of the four sub-sectors measured within the Retail sector, Fashion Apparels, Supermarkets, and e-Commerce scored 72.5 points (+0.63-points year-on-year), 72.4 points (+0.90-points year-on-year), and 71.4 points (+0.35-points year-on-year) respectively; the year-on-year changes were not statistically significant. On the other hand, the Department Stores sub-sector scored 71.2 points, a marked 0.95-point improvement over the previous year.

“The notable improvement in customer satisfaction with Department Stores stemmed largely from more satisfied locals. This increase could be related to the revamps of various stores and product offerings, as well as increased promotional activities targeted at boosting sales,” said Ms Neeta Lachmandas (妮塔.拉切曼达斯), ISE Executive Director (执行总监).

While the Supermarkets sub-sector did not see any significant year-on-year changes in their CSISG scores, customers who had frequently used the ‘self-checkout’ counters expressed greater satisfaction levels compared to those who frequented the manned cashier counters.

“Offering retail customers more ways to shop, whether through online channels or self-checkout counters, could enhance the customer experience, thereby positively impacting customer satisfaction and loyalty,” remarked Mr Chen Yongchang (陈勇畅), ISE Head of Research and Consulting (研究与咨询主任).

Cross-industry benchmarking also revealed lower satisfaction and loyalty for Department Stores customers who shopped only at the physical stores when compared to the e-Commerce sub-sector’s customers. In contrast, Department Stores customers who had experienced the stores’ digital platforms had similar levels of customer satisfaction and higher levels of customer loyalty when compared to e-Commerce customers. 

“This would suggest that traditional brick and mortar stores could be better served and complemented by developing a robust omni-channel presence if they have not already done so; it can potentially give them a competitive edge over the e-Commerce retailers”, added Mr Chen.

CSISG Results for the Info-Communications Sector

The Info-Communications sector scored 69.6 points (+1.10-points year-on-year) for CSISG 2017 Q1, a statistically significant improvement from the year before. Its constituent sub-sectors include Wireless@SG at 70.3 points (+0.73-points year-on-year), Mobile Telecom at 70.2 points (+1.08-point year-on-year), Broadband at 68.2 points (+1.14-points year-on-year), and PayTV at 67.4 points (+0.75-points year-on-year); these year-on-year movements were not considered statistically significant.

In particular, Mobile Telecom and Broadband customers were observed to exhibit measurably higher levels of customer loyalty the longer they stay subscribed to a particular telco. These were the customers who demonstrated higher likelihood to re-contract and greater tolerance to price increases. Further analysis of these Info-Communications sub-sectors revealed that service attributes relating to responsiveness, assurance, and empathy were key drivers of loyalty, in addition to the usual product-related attributes such as suitable subscription plans and fast data speeds.

“While competitive product features will continue to play a big part in keeping customers, it is notable that service-related considerations such as ‘Makes the effort to understand your needs’ and ‘Has your best interest at heart’ have also surfaced as important attributes to drive customer loyalty,” said Mr Chen.

Please refer to Annex A for a background on the CSISG and Annex B for the detailed scores. 

For media queries, please contact:

Ms Serene Ashley Chen

Assistant Director, Partnerships and Programme Development

Institute of Service Excellence (ISE) at Singapore Management University

DID: (65) 6808 5103

Mobile: (65) 9151 9030

Email: serenechen [at] smu.edu.sg

Mr Teo Chang Ching

Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications

Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing

DID: (65) 6828 0451

Mobile: (65) 9431 8353

Email: ccteo [at] smu.edu.sg