The significance of the Fair Trader customer group to Traidcraft is shown in the graphs below.
Whilst the numbers of orders processed for each customer type is weighted towards the Mail Order category, these are relatively small value orders and the second graph shows that Fair Trader sales make up just over 50% of our total direct (non-licensed) sales.
In addition, Fair Traders are very often key supporters and advocates of Traidcraft’s work – providing a key information role to the general public as well as selling Traidcraft goods. Their ongoing support and loyalty is critical to our success.
As in previous years we commissioned research from a locally based market research company, Survey & Marketing Services Limited – SMS, to undertake a study of the perceptions of Traidcraft's Fair Traders of our service levels over a four-month period from August 2006 to November 2006.
Scores are from a sample size of 108 (with a range of 1-10 where 10 = perfect) or for percentages the proportion of Fair Traders with an order in the given category.
Trends in customer satisfaction remained very comparable with previous years. However the impact of non-availability of craft lines in October and November does come through in the survey data when the data is analysed at a monthly level. The slight decrease in "shopping satisfaction" is most marked in the latter months of the monitoring period.
| 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 |
| Staff professionalism | 9.73 | 9.52 |
| Staff ability to deal with problems | 9.43 | 9.32 |
| % with food/beverages out of stock * | 29 | 17 |
| % with non-food out of stock * | 42 | 35 |
| % with damaged items | 17 | 10 |
| Satisfaction with parcel packing | 8.84 | 8.68 |
| % order received when expected | 96 | 97 |
| Overall “shopping satisfaction” | 9.14 | 9.01 |
* At the point of placing the order
The survey also asked for feedback on the webstore shopping experience and data from this element of the survey has been fed into webstore development plans.
There is further data in the Customer section about complaints levels and overall service levels affecting all Traidcraft customers not just Fair Traders.
Directors' Comment
Fair Traders remain at the heart of our work, and it has been encouraging to see the increasing numbers of people supporting us in this way.
We recognise the need to help Fair Traders communicate more effectively to their customers the benefits of buying Traidcraft branded products and of supporting Traidcraft’s wider charitable activity too. Stronger branding and more attention being paid to developing our church profile should both help in this.
During the year two new categories of Fair Trader were developed. Fair Trade Caterers to encourage work places to go fair trade and See the Flip side to encourage youth groups to support fair trade.
