Poor navigation tops consumer complaints about retail web sites
Poor navigation was the biggest complaint about retail web sites in a recent Harris Interactive survey, cited by 40% of those who experienced problems shopping online. That was followed by receiving error messages 36%, incorrect or confusing information 31%, difficulty logging in 29%, falling into an endless loop 24%, poor search functionality 22% and being kicked off a page automatically 21%.
The survey found that nearly nine of 10 Internet users (87%) have experienced problems trying to use shopping, travel, insurance or banking sites. That figure has remained nearly steady in the three years that Harris has conducted the survey on behalf of Tealeaf Technology Inc., which captures and analyzes data about web site visits.
Of those who reported problems, 42% said they abandoned the transaction or went to a competitor and 53% said they contacted customer service. In the latter group, 49% said they did not have their problem resolved, and 52% who had a bad experience with a contact center said they stopped doing business with that company.
“More than a decade into e-commerce, we’re increasingly savvy online consumers and we’re no longer willing to put up with experiences that do not live up to our expectations,” says Rebecca Ward, Tealeaf CEO. “Companies doing business online must pay attention to their customers’ experiences and help them to succeed, or risk losing them entirely.”
The survey responses across the four types of web sites suggest that what’s most important to consumers is web site security, cited by 25%, followed by ease of completing a transaction 21%, confirmation of a transaction 13% and ease of navigation 12%.
Harris conducted the online survey in August among 2,420 U.S. adults who use the Internet.
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