Study Finds Hygiene Standards Drive Sales and Reputation

Is your business losing money because of germs?

Initial Washroom Hygiene, one of the UK’s leading hygiene and washroom service companies, has revealed the retail and hospitality sectors risk losing out on return revenue unless business hygiene standards match-up to the high standards of food and service.

The independent research, carried out to evaluate public hygiene habits, demonstrates the need for the retail and hospitality sectors to focus on critical hygiene practices such as ensuring staff have clean hands and toilet facilities are properly maintained, or risk losing out on repeat business.

A break down of the results below shows the industries where customers consider hygiene to be an important factor when deciding whether or not to visit a business again:

• Restaurants: 88% admit hygienic washroom facilities are an important factor in returning

• Cafés: 48% admit to not returning to a restaurant or café because of poor hygiene standards

• Hotels: 24% admit to not returning to a hotel for the same reason

• Retail stores: Over 18% admit to not returning because of poor levels of hygiene facilities

The findings clearly demonstrate the importance of hygiene for customers and these industries in particular should be making an extra emphasis on meeting cleaning and hygiene requirements.

Critical hygiene practices need to be implemented and staff should be encouraged on the benefits of maintaining these practices in order to prevent customers from going elsewhere.

Things for businesses to consider:

• Ensuring staff are well kept, presentable and have clean hands.

• Ensuring all public service areas are tidy and cleaned to a high standard.

• Ensuring washrooms are clean, hygienic, well-stocked and maintained on an hourly basis.

Cleanliness and profits are directly related.

The research highlights the direct impact on washroom cleanliness and profitability of the business.

• 88% of British people surveyed stated that a washroom cleanliness was an important factor when considering a return visit to a business.

• 82% said that the business must be clean in order for them to be willing to spend their money there.

• 79% said that staff hygiene was an important factor when considering going back to a business in future.

• 59% of British parents with children aged five to seven years old, declare they’ve avoided returning to a restaurant or café due to unhygienic condition.

• 32% of British parents declared they’ve avoided returning to to a hotel for the same reason.

• 18% admit to not returning to shopping centres and outlet stores because of the poor levels of hygiene facilities on offer.

The findings highlight the importance of educating employees on personal hygiene, such as regularly washing their hands and wearing clean clothes to work. But most importantly, the findings emphasise the necessity for businesses to make cleanliness and hygiene a compulsory day to day part of their business, especially if they want customers to return and revenue to increase.

Hiring a professional commercial cleaning company is a great way to maintain cleaning standards and ensure customers are kept happy and healthy as far as the business’ hygiene is concerned.

Wonder Maids team are experienced cleaners of commercial premises and aware of what it takes to achieve high cleaning and hygiene standards in business. If your business is suffering or you simply want to improve your cleaning results, get in touch today for a FREE no obligation quote.