Our latest round of research with members took place in February and March this year, and was carried out by the research agency Research by Design, by online survey.
All members were invited via email, and 12% responded, from a range of sectors, business size and type. Thank you very much to those of you that took the time to respond!
We were looking to:
- Ascertain members’ concerns for the future
- Measure satisfaction with the support we are providing and
- Identify how we can improve our communications
Unsurprisingly, given the timing of the research, many members had concerns for their business in the next six months, with two thirds worried about loss of consumer confidence/footfall. We hope our weekly footfall data is hoping to allay those concerns, with footfall still very close to levels seen in 2019, which is encouraging.
We were so pleased to see that the majority of members were satisfied with the support we provided in the last six months, in particular with the updates on the town centre provided in the newsletter, webinars, and information on Business Grants from the government.
The top areas of support that you are looking for are areas that we are already heavily concentrating on.
- Marketing campaigns to improve awareness and footfall in the town centre: We are running multiple consumer facing marketing campaigns from Colour Your Senses in Kingston and the Sculpture Trail, to reaching new audiences through the Keep It Kingston app (to name just a few!), and are starting to look at our consumer brand, InKingston, and how to make it work harder
- Improving the quality of the town centre experience: From our twice yearly deep cleans, free recycling, floral displays and town dressing, to our Social Spaces and Happy Spaces projects to bring greening and pedestrianised zones to the town centre, we are committed to improving the experience of Kingston
- Representation/lobbying local and central government: We were part of the national ‘Bounce Back Better’ campaign, and have regular meetings with and participate in consultations with the council, to ensure decisions are made which take your views into consideration
- Support promoting business/service online: We deliver webinars on promoting your business online (check out our latest newsletter for the next session), and use our consumer marketing channels to promote our members. The research identified a need for training in customer services, which we are looking into
- Creating a stronger business community: This is an area of focus as we come out of lockdown, as we have also missed meeting you all in person! We will be looking to organise some networking events in the summer if possible, so look out for those
Email emma.norman@kingstonfirst.co.uk, if you have any questions or comments.
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