As online shoppers become more discriminating, retailers must provide a consistently positive experience, according to a Shop.org study “The State of Retailing Online 2007”, conducted by Forrester research.
“Today’s online shopper is extremely web-savvy and expects more than ever, forcing retailers to raise the stakes,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org.
“Companies are investing in new features that will keep customers coming back, and homepages everywhere are getting a major facelift.”
The survey found that 88 percent of online retailers plan to focus on improving content on product detail pages, with 80 percent adding alternative images, 72 percent incorporating lifestyle photography, and 63 percent integrating customer ratings and reviews.
Retailers are also concentrating on their homepages, integrating top sellers and “what’s new” sections, and improving their Web sites with dropdown menus and rollover lists in navigational areas. To stand apart from their competitors, online retailers are making customer service a priority, with 33 percent of companies planning to invest more in live chat and 53 percent planning to improve their checkout process in the next year.
“It’s encouraging to see more retailers planning to integrate customer feedback loops into their sales processes,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, Forrester Research senior analyst and lead author of the report.
“Many retailers have been relying on site analytics data, which is strong at reflecting paths-to- purchase but typically weak at highlighting vulnerabilities or opportunities for improvement.”
When it comes to operating in multiple channels, survey respondents said that 43 percent of catalog customers have also purchased from their online store and 35 percent of online customers have also purchased from their bricks-and -mortar store. The survey found that 66 percent of retailers measure the success of a catalog by how it increases online sales.
“The perception that catalogs are a dying breed could not be further from the truth,” said Silverman.
“For online retailers, catalogs are an incredibly important tool for acquiring new customers and providing current customers with their first look at new products. Retailers understand that many consumers get a catalog in the mail, then buy the item online.”
