Shoppers Frustrated With Customer Experience in Ecommerce

Slow websites and difficulty with mobile access hamper consumers' online retail experience.

While ecommerce is rapidly rising in popularity, new research by Internet performance company Dyn has revealed that the digitalisation of the retail experience is far from a smooth journey for customers.

Just 37 per cent of shoppers questioned responded that they get the best service and overall experience online.

What makes customers dash?

Mobile is causing the biggest frustrations, with 40 per cent of UK consumers – more than any other country surveyed – saying that mobile shopping isn’t as fast and easy as shopping on a computer.

Another make or break factor for potential customers if the speed of the website, with over a quarter (27 per cent) of respondents globally admitting that their typical reason for abandoning a purchase – and even head for a competitor’s website – is because the website is too slow.

In the UK, retailers have a longer than anywhere else to convince their shopper not to abandon a purchase as 47 per cent of Brits are willing to wait five seconds or longer for a web page to load when shopping online. In the rest of world, three seconds or longer is enough to send consumers fleeing.

Move to multichannel

A majority of 56 per cent of UK shoppers believe that the key to improving the overall ecommerce experience is for brands to provide the same quality experience, on computers, on mobile and in the store.

An innovative platform leaping forward in popularity is social media, with 45 per cent of consumers surveyed saying that they would be willing to buy a product directly through social media via a "Buy Now" button.

Paul Heywood, Managing Director EMEA of Dyn, explained: "If new ways to shop are hassle-free, secure and fast then consumers will be willing to try them.

"The introduction of "Buy Now" buttons by Twitter and Facebook are a good examples of brands tapping into new technologies to make shopping easier and more instantaneous."