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Almost two thirds (65.1%) of Brits will reportedly “boycott” restaurants, bars, pubs or hotels with a poor reputation for hygiene and infection control.
The data was obtained by a nationally-representative survey into 2,000 members of the public, by infection control specialist JLA, as part of its “Infection Insights” campaign to raise standards across the industry.
The findings revealed that more than one in three (34%) people would both never use offending businesses again, and also tell “as many people as possible” to avoid these businesses through channels such as “word-of-mouth and social media”, further increasing reputational damage.
According to the research, winning customer trust will be key for businesses looking to retain and grow their customer base over the coming months, with 87.6% of Brits now deeming it important that a business has a “good reputation for hygiene and infection control”.
Furthermore, 58.1% of surveyed people proclaimed a positive standing for hygiene “extremely important”. Additionally, 33.6% of the public admitted that they are “less likely” to use a business with a poor reputation for infection control, with only 6.3% of the population stating that hygiene and infection control ratings are still “not an issue for them”.
Ben Gujral, CEO at JLA, said: “The events of the past year have laid bare the potential consequences for companies that do not demonstrate the highest standards in infection control, as well as the growth opportunities for organisations that do invest what is needed now to reassure worried customers.
“At a time where businesses across a range of industries need the continued loyalty of their customers more than ever before, it is crucial that they use the coming weeks to action all possible infection control measures to put their minds at ease.”
He added that those that take the time to do this now “will reap the benefits” once doors are able to reopen properly, “offering potentially millions in boosted revenues, as well as the loyalty of customers both old and new, for years to come.”
