Brits are losing patience with shopping online

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Brits are still getting a raw deal when it comes to shopping online, with almost 90 per cent of consumers experiencing issues with web-based transactions in the last year.

So says research published yesterday, which revealed that almost half (49 per cent) of those affected by such problems say they vote with their feet and head towards a competitor - or just not buy at all when things go wrong.

This intolerance for poor online customer experiences could be costing online retailers some £11.9 billion in lost revenue, according to the survey carried out by Harris Interactive, on behalf of customer experience management software vendor Tealeaf.

"The effect of online issues is far reaching. Customers are operating in a digital age where they have a number of options to quickly make their thoughts known about a company. The ramifications of this can be huge," said Dr. Max Blumberg, corporate psychologist and customer management strategist at the University of London.

"Online businesses need to make every effort to streamline and improve the experience of their visitors. The reward will be increased ROI, improved brand perception, and repeat business."

With customers spending more than £26 billion online in the first half of this year, online businesses are failing quite miserably when it comes to capturing the attentions – and loyalty – of ecommerce shoppers.

Indeed, the research revealed that customers are becoming increasingly fickle and impatient, with 87 per cent of respondents believing that online transactions should be completed the first time, and nine out of 10 e-shoppers demanding the same, if not better, customer service than they receive in the world of bricks and mortar.

"With so many businesses now relying on the online channel and with consumers going online for the latest credit crunch busting bargains, it is worrying, but not surprising, to see that the experiences of online consumers are not improving,” said Rebecca Ward, chief executive of Tealeaf.

“With more and more Britons now turning to the internet to conduct business, companies that get it right are ideally placed to take advantage. However, the clear warning is that consumers are obviously not tolerant when things go wrong and are only clicks away from a problem-free competitor that can help instead."

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