
Empty Shelves, Empty Loyalty: New Study Reveals True Cost of Out-of-Stock Items
New report shows 81% of shoppers frequently can't find what they need, leading to lost sales and brand switching.
A Closer Look announces the release of a new report featuring exclusive, proprietary data on retail product availability and customer behaviors. The study, titled “Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Hidden Cost of Empty Shelves and Broken Displays,” offers unique insights into how drastically product unavailability affects consumers and how likely they are to go elsewhere, even change brands, when products are out of stock. This comprehensive analysis illuminates the significant impact of inventory issues on consumer behavior and retail performance.
- 81% of shoppers often or sometimes can’t find what they’re looking for in stores
- When products are out of stock:
- 47% of shoppers go online to search instead
- 42% buy from third-party online retailers
- 32% switch to a different brand
- Over 20% are unlikely to return to a store after an out-of-stock experience
“This report confirms that brand loyalty is deeply impacted by product availability, in addition to customer experience,” said Chris Gillen, CEO and Co-founder of A Closer Look. “Our research reveals the profound impact that empty shelves have on customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and ultimately, a retailer’s bottom line. Retailers simply can’t ignore this impact, or if they do, it will be at their competitor’s gain and their peril.”
The full report offers actionable insights for retailers looking to enhance their inventory management strategies and improve customer retention. Read the report now.
About A Closer Look
For more than 25 years, A Closer Look’s unwavering mission has been to elevate the customer experience to unprecedented heights, which it does by empowering brands with deep audience insights and research. ACL is driven by a passion to evolve brands beyond mere price-driven loyalty by aligning brand, product, and messaging to meet genuine customer needs, building authentic and enduring brand loyalty centered around customer values.
A renowned customer experience research firm dedicated to providing invaluable insights to organizations across various industries, ACL delivers objective and data-driven research that empowers businesses to make informed decisions and drive meaningful improvements.
Contact:
Chris Gillen
CEO
A Closer Look
(888)446-5665