Study title

Dataset resulting from tracking 200 respondents in six town centres to examine consumer behaviour in relation to the changing landscape of town centres. Research was carried out in Swindon, Huddersfield, Watford, Loughborough, Bury St Edmunds and Sandbach; typical for the type of towns that could be under threat from rival forms of retailing. To start with, focus groups explored initial customer experience questions/issues. Respondents kept online diaries in which they logged every single element of their shopping activity over the course of a four-week period. This included where they shopped, how much time and money they spent in doing so and how they used internet or mobile technology to support or supplant the physical shopping experience. Respondents also completed a weekly questionnaire in which they recounted the critical incidents occurring during their “customer experience journey”. The study identified 11 key interactions or “touch points”, some of them physical (or “functional”) and some intangible (or “experiential”). The plight of Britain’s town centres has attracted attention at the highest levels in recent years. The government has introduced a number of actions, from the Portas Review to the Future High Streets Forum, in response to undeniable evidence of economic decline. It is clear that town centres are changing, as is the way in which shoppers use them. With the internet offering unprecedented choice, comparison and convenience, consumers have come to expect more from town and city centres. Yet, although we are all deeply aware of this fundamental shift, surprisingly little is known about what actually constitutes the customer experience in a town centre. This research aims to fill that knowledge gap. By examining consumer behaviour in relation to the changing landscape of town centres, it provides evidence of how the customer experience is formed from a consumer perspective.