Non-Food Retail CX Benchmark Europe 2025
Benchmark built from 1.2M+ Google Maps reviews analyzed with AI
Access DashboardOver 1.2 million
16.5 thousand
24
Why should you explore this benchmark?
Because today’s non-food retail market is more competitive than ever. Customers have endless choices, and small operational issues—like checkout queues, returns processes, or stock shortages—can shape a retailer’s reputation across entire regions.
This benchmark shows you:
- What customers truly value in their shopping experience: price, variety, cleanliness, promotions.
- What drives frustration: waiting times, unclear policies, fitting rooms, or under-staffed checkouts.
- How performance differs across 28 European markets, highlighting cultural and regional expectations.
- Which topics matter most for satisfaction—and how they correlate with loyalty and repeat visits.
It’s not just about scores—it’s about understanding the stories customers tell in their reviews.
What sections are included in the benchmark?
- Rankings – Explore how six leading non-food discount retailers perform across 24 customer experience topics, from staff service and product quality to store policies.
- Maps – See how perception shifts between countries. For example, one retailer may perform well in Central Europe but struggle in Southern markets.
- Comparisons – Place brands side by side and discover strengths and weaknesses in direct contrast.
- Insights – Learn how issues like queue time or stock availability directly impact overall satisfaction and reputation.
Each section helps you move beyond anecdotes, giving a clear, data-backed perspective.
Open the Benchmark Now
How was the benchmark created?
The benchmark is built on a transparent and rigorous methodology:
- Data source: All reviews were sourced from Google Reviews—an unbiased, public platform where customers freely share their opinions.
- Scale: Over 1.2 million reviews collected across 16,516 locations in 28 countries.
- Time frame: July 10th, 2023 – July 10th, 2025.
- Filtering: Only meaningful reviews (10+ characters) were included, removing empty “OK” or single-word comments.
- AI-powered sentiment analysis: Each review was analyzed using NLP (Natural Language Processing). Every comment is given a sentiment score from –1 (negative) to +1 (positive).
- Net Sentiment Score (NSS): Each topic is measured by balancing positive and negative mentions. Example: queues show a strongly negative NSS (–0.81), while price & value is highly positive (+0.74)
- Topics covered: 24 customer experience dimensions, including staff & service, price & value, promotions, cleanliness, checkout, returns, product availability, policies, atmosphere, and more.
This ensures results are objective, comparable across brands, and deeply actionable.
What can you learn from this benchmark?
You can discover insights such as:
- Which themes dominate customer conversations: staff interactions (102,243 mentions), product variety (77,106 mentions), and price (65,001 mentions) are the top three across Europe
- Where frustrations concentrate: queues, staffing, store policies, and stock issues all score negative sentiment across chains.
- How countries differ: customer priorities in Spain or Italy can be very different from Germany or Poland.
- How retailers are compared: see how Action, Pepco, Kik, Sinsay, Tedi, and Dealz are positioned against each other without relying on marketing claims.
For decision-makers, this means seeing where to invest in improvements and where to leverage existing strengths.
CustomerHero experts recommend using this benchmark to guide strategy—whether it’s reducing queue times, improving returns processes, or refining pricing strategies—because the data reveals what customers actually talk about.
What customer experience themes are covered?
The benchmark dives into 24 detailed categories, including:
- Price & Value – fairness, affordability, promotions, discounts.
- Product Variety & Selection – assortment, depth of choice.
- Product Availability – stock issues, out-of-stock frustrations.
- Staff & Service – friendliness, professionalism, helpfulness.
- Store Environment – cleanliness, organization, atmosphere.
- Queues & Checkout – speed of service, wait times, staffing.
- Policies & Returns – rules, exchanges, flexibility.
- Security & Safety – in-store comfort and protection.
- Convenience Factors – parking, location, accessibility.
Each of these themes is measured with Net Sentiment Scores, allowing you to see not just what customers say, but how strongly they feel about it.
Summary & Recommendations
The Non-Food Retail CX Benchmark Europe 2025 is more than a dataset—it’s a practical tool for retail leaders, analysts, and strategists.
- Use it to benchmark your brand against competitors across Europe.
- Learn which issues hurt reputation most and where to prioritize improvements.
- Understand regional variations to tailor strategies market by market.
- Track what customers value today, and anticipate where expectations are heading.
Open the Benchmark Now
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What makes this benchmark different from traditional reports?
It uses only real customer reviews—over 1.2 million across Europe—analyzed by AI. No surveys, no small samples, just authentic customer voices.
Which retailers are included?
Six major non-food discount chains: Action, Pepco, Kik, Sinsay, Tedi, and Dealz.
Can I explore results for my country?
Yes, the interactive maps and rankings cover 28 European countries, so you can zoom into local data.
Is the benchmark free to access?
Yes, it is fully available online with no form required. Just click and explore.
Related resources
Related resources
Empowering businesses to achieve greater growth
