Telecoms giants have benefited massively since March, and none more than Giffgaff, the mobile virtual network operator, which emerged as the fourth best performing business across all sectors under lockdown in an Opportunity Index devised by Yonder.
The consultancy spoke to 4,000 British consumers to get a picture of what matters to them most right now when choosing to buy products or services. It then analysed the performance of 70 UK businesses across nine sectors and ranked them according to the rate at which they have met these needs since the onset of COVID-19.
That Netflix and Amazon take the top two spots (Amazon Prime the third) in this analysis may not be surprising, but the presence of Giffgaff in fourth place is.
Tesco Mobile followed closely in fifth and O2 was eighth out of 65 brands; Virgin Mobile, however, was the lowest ranking of the mobile networks, ranking fifty-eighth out of 65 companies.
Writing for WARC, Manfred Abraham, co-CEO of Yonder, explains that “providing security, helping customers manage change, and providing things to look forward to have been people’s top demands during lockdown, which plays right into the hands of telecoms providers”.
But he adds that it would be wrong to assume that people got greater value from their mobile networks under lockdown because of the simple fact that mobiles gave vital connections to the outside world.
There is a reason why BT placed thirty-sixth, he observes: it just does not connect with people in the personal way that Giffgaff does. “Under lockdown we have really seen the long-term benefits of Giffgaff’s customer- and community-centric strategy pay off in spades.
“Being different, being progressive and listening closely to customer needs has made the difference. Companies from all sectors could learn the benefits and value of this approach, both in the short-term of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and in the long-term for boosting loyalty and advocacy.”
Read more in Manfred Abraham’s article: Harnessing opportunity: Which businesses worked hardest to meet customer needs during the coronavirus pandemic?.
Sourced from WARC
