Bit of a glitch in ordering, but a great selection
Store location: South-West England
Enquiry: Natural hay fever remedies
Continuing the New Natural Business ‘must see’ Secret Shopper exercise in which we find the best online shopping experience among independent retailers. Our number one rule in our eagle-eyed search is that the online shops we visit must be backed by a physical store. The pandemic has changed shopping patterns for many customers so we’ve been focusing on stores that have stepped up and welcome them online...
First impressions
I check out this store’s website after it has been recommended. My first impressions are good as I find the website immediately inviting. I like the clear and simple responsive design, with good use of attractive images for navigation.
One homepage element doesn’t quite work on my tablet screen but it doesn’t prevent me from browsing further.
Verdict 8/10
Website layout
The online shop offers ambient food and drink, supplements and bodycare. There’s a good selection of popular products, with organic wholefoods shown clearly.
Special offers and new product ranges are highlighted on the homepage – special offers are also marked clearly throughout the online shop. I find it fairly easy to browse by category or brand.
The search option could perhaps be more obvious on some pages, but when found it works quickly and well. I easily find a selection of natural products to help with hay fever.
A good amount of product information is shown, including ingredients and key features (for example whether a product is vegan or not).
Verdict 9/10
Personal attention
Physical shop contact details and information are easy to find on the website. However, it seems oddly tricky to find contact details for the web shop. Although the product information shown in the web shop is good, it isn’t obvious how to get in touch for more detail if needed.
The website has a blog but that hasn’t been updated for a some while – understandable in current times though.
Their social media accounts are regularly updated however, and look to be a key way for them to keep in touch with customers.
Verdict 7/10
Check out
Checkout is a little bit slow and at one point I have to reload the page to see full delivery options. I find this a bit confusing but having said that, there is some information provided during check out to help.
Once I get past that glitch, however, the delivery options and pricing are clear. Terms and conditions are also shown clearly at checkout.
I receive friendly and informative order processing emails to keep me updated.
Delivery is super-quick and my order is very well packed. They even include a lovely selection of sample products for me to try.
Verdict 8/10
Overall impression
Overall, I enjoy my shopping experience and would happily return again. Barring that slight glitch at checkout – which hopefully they’ll fix soon – everything works fine and they stock a great selection of products.
Verdict 8/10
Total marks 40/50
Read the previous Secret Shopper report here...
The Awards are run in conjunction with the Health Food Institute and reward excellence in independent health store retailing. The winner is selected from the stores visited by the New Natural Business secret shoppers throughout the year.