Price and product range are consumers’ top complaints when it comes to retail websites, with rising expectations driving complaints, according to new research looking into the main reasons why websites are losing sales. The study, from Customer Experience Management platform Qubit, indicates that while these product attributes dominate the top of the table, basic site […]
Price and product range are consumers’ top complaints when it comes to retail websites, with rising expectations driving complaints, according to new research looking into the main reasons why websites are losing sales.
The study, from Customer Experience Management platform Qubit, indicates that while these product attributes dominate the top of the table, basic site features such as speed, search and functionality also feature strongly in the list of issues.
The results provide an interesting comparison with similar research undertaken in 2011 and seem to indicate rising consumer expectations of web retailers. Whilst some specific issues such as shipping information and video have fallen out of the top 10, some major issues such as site speed and site search have become more important to site users. The changes on the table suggest that users are becoming less focused on the basics of site functionality and are now looking more broadly at their experience.
Looking in detail at the results:
• The highest new entry in the table is product range at number two in the list of issues. This didn’t feature in 2011, suggesting that users have a higher expectation of web retailers in terms of their product expectations.
• Stock availability, 2011’s third most important issue, only ranks seventh in consumer concerns in 2013 indicating enhanced stock management procedures by retailers are impacting on consumer perception.
• Website speed has risen from tenth to fifth on the list. With the increase in broadband penetration over this period it would seem that users expectations of site performance have become more demanding.
• The constants in the table are price, functionality and navigation – basics of online retail. Whilst significant advances have been made in these areas it would seem that these developments have only kept pace with, rather than exceeding, consumer expectations.
The research analysed 1.5 million pieces of feedback from the users of over 300 retail websites using Qubit’s Visitor Opinion tool which collects and automatically categorises feedback from website users before they leave a site.
Graham Cooke, CEO of Qubit, said: “Consumer issues with retail websites are diverse and constantly changing but what’s obvious is that online shoppers expectations are rising at least as fast as retailers attempts to address them. There have been huge developments in areas like site speed, functionality and search since 2011, but these remain prominent issues for consumers. These results clearly show that retailers need to focus on the overall experience for shoppers – you can’t just hope to focus on price or product range, getting it right is about a complete experiential package.”
To read the full report on the top 10 reasons why websites are losing sales, click here
