• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 4, 2001

Give Me Advertising, If You Must

All is not perfect in the e-retailing world, according to a recent survey of online shoppers by Retail Forward. Many online shoppers surveyed identify both frustrating aspects of the online shopping experience as well as possible improvements online retailers could implement. And, a sizable percentage of online shoppers no longer visit or shop infrequently at specific sites because of frustrating shopping experiences in the past.

- 64% of online shoppers report being satisfied with their shopping experiences at online shopping sites.

- Online shoppers between the ages of 45-54 are more likely than younger shoppers to be extremely satisfied with their online shopping experiences

- 1/3 of online shoppers report that there are specific sites they no longer or infrequently shop.

- Only 2% of online shoppers report their online shopping experience to be 'frustration-free.'

- Online advertising is the most frustrating aspect of the online shopping experience. Of significant importance to the advertising industry, however, is that while online ads are annoying, and many online shoppers view them as a significant source of frustration, they do not appear to be turning shoppers away!

Top Five Online Shopping Frustrations (among online shoppers)

  +--------------------------------------------+------+  | Pop-up boxes when visiting/shopping a site | 52%  |  | Banner advertisements                      | 50%  |  | Congested Web pages
(e.g., too many        |      |  | advertisements, images, or information     |      |  | on Web pages)                              | 35%  |  | Slow load times                            | 26%  |  |
Difficult to find a specific product       | 20%  |  +--------------------------------------------+------+  

Source: Internet Users Consumer Panel, September 2001, Retail Forward, Inc.

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