UK Consumer Backlash Against Offshoring Ramps Up

[OhioChick]

Tue 6-May-2008 10:18

UK consumers would rather pay more and buy British, than get cheaper goods and services produced offshore, according to exclusive research revealed by new outsourcing website sourcingfocus.com. Despite the credit crunch, only one in four customers are happy for goods and services to be handled outside the UK, even if it makes them cheaper.

The online survey, conducted by ICM, aimed to establish changing consumer attitudes to outsourcing and offshoring at a time of economic downturn. Consumers responded on a scale of one to ten how happy they would be for various services to be offshored if it saved them money; the results were unanimously anti-offshoring.

Consumers are most adamant that call centres should be kept in the UK - 59 percent of respondents were the most unhappy that they could be (a ten rating) at call centres being offshored, whilst a massive 79 percent were unhappy (rating 8-10) with call centres being handled outside of the UK. Only 6 percent were happy (3 percent very happy) to have call centres handled offshore.

Even functions that have routinely been completed outside of Britain for years - processes that are seemingly invisible to the UK public - are not safe from the backlash. Only 15 percent of respondents were very happy for electronic goods to be manufactured offshore, even if it made them cheaper, whilst just 13 percent were very happy for clothes to be made offshore.

Martyn Hart, Chairman of the National Outsourcing Association (NOA), the trade association for the outsourcing industry, commented: "This research makes unhappy reading for those within the outsourcing industry and particularly those with an interest in offshoring. The lack of consumer acceptance of offshoring - a process that is good for British business - is worrying and further education is obviously needed."

http://www.customer-strategy.co.uk/csnews/index.cfm?ccs=584&cs=3420

[dipsydoodle]

1. Yes indeed - buy British

unless its from Europe or the USA : in no particular order.

Bringing Converse back home might be a good start :)


Companies who import and re-market from elsewhere are generally speaking making huge huge bucks at the expense of the populations of other countries at no great benefit to consumers.

[reddconsole]

2. "The lack of consumer acceptance of offshoring

- a process that is good for British business - is worrying and further education is obviously needed."

Well, the Soviets had their "psychiatric" hospitals, and we have Gitmo.