• by January 25, 2006

Retailers are risking significant damage to their brands when they fail to deliver a positive online experience. A survey conducted by Allurent, Inc., an Internet technology company, found that among the U.S. consumers polled, 82 percent said they would be less likely to return to a site where they'd had a frustrating shopping experience. The finding confirms what we all know: if you have a bad experience, can't find the answer to your question, lose your shopping cart, or get lost, you're far less likely to risk a return visit.

Further, nearly one-third of the consumers polled said that a frustrating online shopping experience would make them less likely to buy at that retailer's physical store, and 55 percent of consumers surveyed said that a frustrating shopping experience online negatively impacts their overall opinion of that retailer.

So, the message is, retail brands and shopping sites have a lot to lose if consumers encounter problems online. We're not inclined to give retailers too many chances. There's a lot at stake, particularly as online holiday shopping totals hit $30.1 billion, according to Goldman, Sachs & Co., Nielsen//NetRatings and Harris Interactive. So many of us browse, research, and shop online.

Allurent's The 2005 Holiday Shopping: Online Customer Experience Survey revealed that a negative customer experience online not only damages a retailer's brand and reduces online sales, but could also lead directly to a reduction in offline sales.

In addition to confirming previously identified problems that have been linked to negative experiences, the survey identified other critical issues that led to negative experiences, including poor site navigation, problems with checkout, inadequate browsing capabilities, and insufficient product details to close the sale. Previous polls cited high shipping costs, inventory problems, and pricing.

The Allurent survey also found that 51 percent of those polled said they abandoned their shopping cart even though they intended to buy products on that site. Reasons cited for abandoned carts include having to click through too many pages to checkout, and the checkout process being too long.

The survey found that 76 percent of respondents were more likely to buy products on a site that offered rich features, such as product zoom, 360-degree product views, and online videos of the product in context, while 54 percent of respondents who chose to shop in a physical store versus an online did so because shopping in a store allowed them to understand a product better.

Eighty-one percent of those polled reported that shopping online this holiday season was convenient, while only 57 percent said it was "trouble-free," and only 29 percent described shopping online as "fun." Sixty-six percent of respondents said that they would be more likely to buy products online if their experience was more like a positive shopping encounter in a physical store.

The Allurent survey was conducted via Zoomerang, an online survey services provider, and was based on 775 respondents. More details can be found at www.allurent.com.