Jax Tyres & Auto has won the major prize at the Retailer Awards 2023 presented by Commonwealth Bank, taking honours for Customer Experience of the Year in a medium to large business.
Jax was recognised for the customer experience transformation it has undergone during recent years, which focused on addressing the challenges of delivering a consistent customer experience (CX) in a franchise business through the implementation of clear KPIs and frameworks and incentives to hit targets through reduced fees for franchisees.
“The holistic nature of this initiative is impressive, as are the clear results it has created,” observed one judge, Jason Pallant, co-director of CXI Research Group at Swinburne University of Technology and director of knowledge enablement at The Lumery.
Another, Professor Gary Mortimer, professor of marketing and customer behaviour at the Queensland University of Technology, added that Jax’s submission “notes the challenges of a franchised model in delivering a positive and consistent CX”.
The Retailer Awards were presented at a function in the Crown Aviary in Melbourne on Thursday evening, before an exclusive guest list of attendees – only the finalists for each award and the event sponsors were invited to attend.
The other big winners on the night were: Weber Store in the category of Customer Experience of the Year – Small (sponsored by Shipstation) and Lovehoney in the category of Online Store of the Year (sponsored by Dropshipzone).
Weber’s submission related to its in-store cooking demonstrations with a focus on educating and inspiring customers while Lovehoney caught the judges’ attention for its launch of the world’s first sex toy store in the metaverse.
“I love the in-store experience concept Weber has created with its cooking areas,” remarked judge David Martin, national manager of retail and e-commerce at CommBank. “What an amazing, tactile way to create a product connection for the customer, and an awesome NPS driving activity especially when you add teaching elements to the overall experience.”
Of Lovehoney’s initiative, Martin said: “Great innovation entering the metaverse. I love the uniqueness of the Sex Map feature. The site gives users all the information they need to make an informed purchase coupled with an easy-to-use browsing, recommendation and discovery platform.”
Heather McIlvaine, managing editor, premium, at Inside Retail, congratulated all the winners of this year’s Retailer Awards.
“There were many strong submissions, but these retailers stood out for their unwavering focus on customer service, innovative digital offerings and exceptional in-store experiences.
“With many experts predicting a tough year ahead for the retail sector, it’s never been more important for businesses to invest in their customer experience,” she said.
The full list of winners is:
- Customer Experience of the Year – Medium to Large: Jax Tyres & Auto.
- Customer Experience of the Year – Small: Weber Store.
- Online Store of the Year: Lovehoney.
- Store Design or Concept of the Year: BCF.
- Omnichannel Retailer of the Year: Cue.
- Retail Supplier of the Year: Tryzens (nominated by Cotton On).
- Best Customer Service Team: Pet Circle.
- Instore Customer Service Initiative of the Year: The Athlete’s Foot.
- Online Customer Service Initiative of the Year: Pet Circle.
- Loyalty Program or Campaign of the Year: Myer.
The judges for the 2023 awards were Heather McIlvaine and Aron Lewin of Inside Retail; David Martin; Reuben Casey, former CEO of Kathmandu; Colleen Callander, founder of Callander & Co and former CEO of Sportsgirl; Gary Mortimer; and Jason Pallant.
