Survey Reveals that Retailers Continue to Leave Money on the Table Due to Inadequate Online Shopping Experience

October 3, 2006; 02:30 AM
Even with the predicted growth for online retailers during the upcoming holiday shopping season, a national survey conducted by Allurent, Inc. revealed that online retailers continue to leave money on the table. An overwhelming 83 percent of consumers surveyed said they would buy more online if retailers added more interactive and interesting ways to display and purchase products, allowing them to feel more comfortable and confident in their online purchases.

When asked which features would help them better make purchasing decisions, online shoppers cited Web 2.0 features including ‘shortcuts’, which provide express product information and pageless purchases (e.g., viewing the cart while being able to get product details and images as well as add the item to your cart), commerce-enabled pictures and videos (e.g., seeing a photo or video and being able to click anywhere on the image to purchase what you see or get more information about the products without leaving the page you’re on), and ‘mix and match’ (e.g., being able to view a belt, shoes and handbag next to each other on one screen to see how they look together).

Survey data also found that only 36 percent of online shoppers prefer shopping online versus in the physical stores. Online shoppers who were surveyed expressed great interest in technology features that would help them better understand the products they are interested in buying. In fact, the number one reason cited (71 percent) for preferring to shop in a physical store versus online is that shopping in stores allows consumers to better understand the products they are purchasing.

It’s also becoming increasingly important for online retailers to merchandise their products in more compelling ways, as the survey uncovered a shift in consumer shopping behavior: sixty-eight percent of consumers reported to browse online stores more now than in the past, even if they aren’t intending to buy anything. This presents an enormous opportunity for retailers to turn browsers into buyers.

“Successful online retailing is really the monetization of customer experience. Anything that improves that experience will quickly generate customer loyalty and more revenue, as suggested by our latest survey results,” said Joe Chung, co-founder and CEO of Allurent. “Rich Internet Application solutions present an incredible opportunity for retailers to drive additional dollars to their bottom line by providing a superior customer experience that supports and extends their overall brand. This multi-channel loyalty may actually lead to more revenue online and off-line.”

About The Online Merchandising Survey

The Online Merchandising Survey is a national survey designed to provide insight into consumers’ attitudes about their online shopping experiences and what they would like to see retailers do to improve the customer experience. The survey was conducted in September 2006 via Zoomerang, an online survey services provider, and is based on 803 respondents. The survey is sponsored by Cambridge, Mass.-based Allurent. A Research Brief providing detailed information on the findings is available at the Allurent Web site, www.allurent.com.

About Allurent

Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Allurent is the Rich Internet Applications for Commerce company. Allurent is developing a suite of Rich Internet Applications focused on the full life cycle of online shopping, from finding and browsing products to pageless order management and checkout. Each application dramatically improves customer experience, driving greater conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and profit. For additional information please visit www.allurent.com.