Commentary
Site Satisfaction Saves Sales
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, June 14, 2005
Findings from a new study by ForeSee Results and FGI Research, based on consumers who browsed the 40 highest-grossing e-retail sites, revealed that traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are dramatically under-utilizing the online channel, leaving a huge gap between likelihood to buy online vs. offline. Many of the nation's top retailers are performing well below their potential online and may be driving away some people who would otherwise make purchases, says the report.
Falling short in scores, on the basis of how well they are delivering the kind of experience site visitors want, can cause web site visitors to spend their money elsewhere and, in some cases, the sites were found to negatively impact future offline spending with the same brand.
Larry Freed, an online satisfaction expert and CEO of ForeSee Results, says "You can have strong online revenues but if you're not engaging site visitors in the way they want, you are leaving money on the table--and for some of these retailers it's worth a lot of money. Of the five top-scoring e-retailers, likelihood of browsers to take the next step and make an online purchase is 36 percent higher than those at the bottom of the list.
The full list of companies measured and their scores are as follows:
Website | Company | Browser Satisfaction Score |
Netflix.com | Netflix Inc. | 85 |
Amazon.com | Amazon.com Inc. | 84 |
QVC.com | QVC Inc. | 84 |
Newegg.com | Newegg.com | 82 |
LLBean.com | L.L. Bean Inc | 82 |
OldNavy.com | Old Navy | 81 |
TigerDirect.com | TigerDirect Inc | 81 |
Apple.com | Apple Computer Inc. | 80 |
Avon.com | Avon Products Inc. | 80 |
BN.com | Barnes & Noble Inc. | 80 |
Williams-Sonoma.com | Williams-Sonoma Inc. | 80 |
HarryandDavid.com | Bear Creek Corp. | 80 |
HSN.com | Home Shopping Network | 79 |
Gap.com | Gap Inc. | 78 |
Drugstore.com | Drugstore.com Inc. | 78 |
EddieBauer.com | Eddie Bauer Holdings | 78 |
PotteryBarn.com | Pottery Barn | 77 |
Dell.com | Dell Inc. | 77 |
HPShopping.com | Hewlett-Packard Co. | 77 |
JCPenney.com | J.C. Penney Co. Inc. | 77 |
Quixtar.com | Quixtar Inc. | 77 |
ToysRUs.com | Toys "R" Us Inc | 77 |
OfficeDepot.com | Office Depot Inc. | 75 |
Staples.com | Staples Inc. | 75 |
BestBuy.com | Best Buy Co. Inc. | 75 |
Walmart.com | Wal-Mart Stores Inc. | 75 |
Overstock.com | Overstock.com Inc. | 75 |
1800Flowers.com | 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. | 75 |
NeimanMarcus.com | Neiman Marcus Group Inc. | 75 |
Sears.com | Sears, Roebuck and Co. | 74 |
SonyStyle.com | SonyStyle.com | 74 |
Target.com | Target Corp. | 74 |
CircuitCity.com | Circuit City Stores Inc. | 74 |
FTD.com | FTD Inc. | 74 |
BananaRepublic.com | Gap Inc. | 73 |
CDW.com | CDW Corp. | 73 |
Gateway.com | Gateway Inc. | 73 |
Chadwicks.com | Redcats USA | 73 |
Buy.com | Buy.com Inc. | 71 |
CompUSA.com | CompUSA Inc. | 71 |
Costco.com | Costco Wholesale Corp. | 70 |
Kmart.com | Kmart Corp. | 69 |
Source: ForeSee Results and FGI Research, June 2005 | ||
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.