Getting to Wow in Retail

From Knowledge@Wharton: Getting to 'Wow': Consumers Describe What Makes a Great Shopping Experience. The complete report by the retail council. Below an overview:

' ... New Wharton research finds that 35% of shoppers have had an extraordinary -- or wow -- retail experience in the past six months. But in order to hit that mark, retailers must deliver on as many as 10 different elements of the shopping experience simultaneously. Retailers are rewarded when shoppers tell others about their experience. "Peoples' expectations are pretty high. It's easy to [fall short of those expectations], and hard to eclipse [bad experiences, even] with something that's over-the-top," says Wharton marketing professor Stephen Hoch. "Bitching and moaning is more common than praise." ... '.