After a promising start, 2020 has proven to be a year of nearly unprecedented upheaval for retail brands, many of which have struggled to weather the storms unleased by the new coronavirus. Understandably, a great deal of attention has been focused on the financial and operational challenges brands have faced in the past several months, which are significant. However, just as in good times, understanding and managing customers’ experiences in their interactions with brands remains central to helping retailers find their way through this uncertainty. Fortunately, in this area the news may be less daunting.

Radial and CFI Group surveyed 500 online shoppers at the end of June to continue our ongoing assessment of how they feel about their customer service interactions with brands they have used recently. To provide additional context for how these extraordinary times are impacting customers’ experiences, our survey went a step further, asking our respondents to tell us how recent events are affecting their shopping preferences today and into an eventual post-pandemic future.