It’s good to read that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) only found a low number of misleading pricing and offers in their review of supermarkets. But, it’s not the opinion of people like us in retail that matters – it’s what shoppers think. The CMA results will not convince shoppers that there isn’t a major problem with misleading pricing.
Results of CMA report on misleading pricing
Technically the CMA only found 800 promotions (0.5%) that were misleading which is a good result. However, the CMA did not look at offers and pricing from the perspective of a busy parent with two children in tow who know that their car park ticket runs out in 10 minutes. If they did the results would have been far worse.
Pricing and offers don’t have to be in breach of consumer law to be confusing and difficult to work out for shoppers. It’s therefore vital for retailers to be able to see life from a shopper’s point of view not just from a legal compliance perspective. Those who don’t will be misled into thinking that there isn’t a problem which can be prove to be expensive as shoppers vote with their feet.
How can Retailers see pricing from a shopper’s point of view?
Many retailers already have software tools that help them stay legal but those tools don’t help them see the customer view from inside the store. Take Heinz baked beans for example. There may be several different sizes and types of pack, plus multipacks and perhaps also some offers. The staff at head office need to be able to simultaneously view examples of all the current Heinz baked beans tickets and signage used in a store. This way they can easily spot examples of potential misleading pricing and where it’s difficult for the shopper with two children in tow to easily work out which specific product is best for their current need.
If you would like to know more about how your head office staff can view signage and tickets with “customers eyes” please contact us. We’d also be happy to tell you more about creating and managing clear, simple and effective signage.
Be sure to also check pricing scandals.
