Monday, May 21, 2012

J.Crew Surveys Customers {& $1000 shopping spree)

"Thanks!" to Ruffles (in this post) who shared an unusual email sent from J.Crew today:
...Sorry to be OT but ... did anyone get the J. Crew email message today with a link to a customer satisfaction survey? Fill it out an you have a chance to win a $1000 shopping spree?

Well I did it and it takes FOREVER. Like 30 minutes to complete. But the questions were SO INTERESTING ... about the shopping experience vs. other retailers, website navigation, importance of personal shoppers and customer reviews etc. Some of the wording really hints at who the brand thinks it is ... referencing "high end designer styles at affordable prices" and "unique items you can't get anywhere else."

Super interesting, take it IF you have the time :)
This is very interesting indeed! I think it is great that J.Crew is proactively asking their loyal shoppers about their preferences.

The chance to win a $1000 shopping spree definitely helps motivate customer participation. Although 30 minutes to complete is a bit ridiculous on their part. (It really should be 10-15 minutes maximum.)

I am also curious how they selected customers to fill out the survey- if its based on a certain location or amount spent online (or in store).

Did anyone else receive this email today (or recently)? Do you remember the other questions on the survey? What do you think about the customer survey?

14 comments:

  1. One more note on this Alexis, and all ... you have to provide your complete mailing address, email address, AND phone number to this marketing research company at the end of the survey in order to be "included" in the drawing for 4 $1000 Gift Cards. It all must be filled out to continue.

    If you are wary about providing that kind of detailed personal information and are only in it for the chance to win, you might not want to do it.

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  2. Did anyone ever get contacted again for the last survey (past the initial round) that was supposed to yield the respondent some $?

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  3. I received the email also - it asked questions about spending year over year (are you spending more or less this year than last?) at each retailer you indicated in previous questions, as well as for each apparel item (skirts, dresses, accessories, etc).

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  6. I got the e-mail like a week or two ago, and I have two immediate family members in retail, so I was disqualified after the first question.

    BOO.

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  7. I received the survey as well. There were a lot of questions relating to quality of items, whether or not the items were unique vs. other retailers (as mentioned), whether shipping was a fair price. However, I felt that the survey was very flawed in how it asked the questions. In many instances, you had to rank your concerns. What if one feels that all issues are of equal concern (quality issues *and* rising prices, for example)? As Ruffles mentioned, there was a lot of "status-dropping"; hinting that J. Crew items were exclusive and often asking to compare J. Crew vs. specific luxury retailers ("Chanel", for example). I think there was supposed to be a perception that you get "status" and "style", conveniently under one roof.

    I also felt I wasn't given an adequate opportunity to discuss customer service. At one specific store I frequent, the service is wonderful. At a neighboring one and periodically online, I received dreadful service. There was no place to write in comments for customer service, with regard to specific instances. I would have loved to give particular praise for how my local store treats customers, but no dice. There were many "holes" in the assessment...

    And yes, it was a long survey! I would have almost preferred a one time 20-30% off coupon to a "chance" for a $1K gift card.

    ETA: Sorry but the typos in my earlier message were really bugging me :D

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  8. I got one, and thought it was interesting that I was asked (more than once, I think) if I preferred to shop at websites that allow customer reviews. I was like: "Um, YES. FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, YES."

    ...except there was no place for comments, so I just checked the "Values Highly" button, or whatever it was called. I would love J.Crew so much more if they just allowed customer comments on their site! As a non-standard size (I'm 6 feet tall) who doesn't live near a store, it is hugely irritating to order stuff that looks fine on the featured model but turns out to be way too short on me.

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  9. Now if they would just actually make the changes that their customers are asking for...

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  10. I got mine about a week ago. Took forever

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  11. IMO, the survey was WAY too long (I had to step away from it several times to do other things), had too many comparisons to other brands, and not enough open-response items. They should've just had us rate our interest in certain things (customer reviews, wishlist, etc) and importance of quality/'exclusiveness'/etc, and then had a big text box at the end (even though it would be a pain for somebody to analyze - that's what these market research groups are paid for!). Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that they're finally surveying customers in a little more depth, I just hope that it gives them meaningful results (and changes for us!).

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  12. Apparently the amount of money you spend at the Crew was NOT the determining factor for being surveyed cause I didn't get it. Humph! I consider myself a very good customer and buy every month from the Crew. But frankly, I'd just like a 30% sale right about now over the chance at winning a prize, which of course no one could really verify someone winning. A 30% off sale would be a nice gift for EVERY Crew lover.

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