Online transactions trouble 86% of UK Consumers

Despite the increasing maturity of the ecommerce sector a new study published recently reveals that nearly 9 out of 10 (86%) British consumers who have conducted transactions online in the past year have experienced problems completing them. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive®, and commissioned by Tealeaf®, a Customer Experience Management software provider, highlighted an unforgiving attitude towards online stores, with 37% of those who have experienced problems when conducting an online transaction in the last 12 months saying they would abandon their transaction entirely if they experienced a problem.

According to the survey, consumer intolerance of an online experience is exacerbated by poor customer support from contact centres when people seek to rectify the problems they encounter. 43% of adults who experience transaction problems contact customer service centres and yet, worryingly, only 47% of these felt that this resolved their issue. Ultimately, 40% of British consumers who experienced bad customer service from a company's contact centre following an online issue stopped doing business with the company altogether.

“After a decade of ecommerce, British consumers have very high expectations of their online experiences, yet many companies doing business online are still failing to deliver an acceptable level of customer experience and service to internet customers. Online businesses must pay attention to their customers' experiences and help them to succeed, or risk losing them and their business entirely,” said Rebecca Ward, CEO, Tealeaf. “The only way to understand and pinpoint problems, improve conversion rates and better serve customers is to have visibility into everything that happens on your online channel.”

Other key findings of the survey include:
1. Online v. Offline – 88% of adults were not willing to accept lower levels of customer service online than they would receive in person.

2. Functionality – 20% of those conducting online transactions felt that the ease of completing a transaction was the most important factor in a positive customer experience. Yet 31% of those who had problems conducting online transactions felt that the website was too difficult to navigate and another 29% were unable to complete their action due to an “endless loop”, for example.

3. Security – Privacy is a primary concern of those conducting online transaction; in fact 32% felt that website security was the most critical factor of a positive customer experience. However, 40% of those who experience problems when conducting an online transaction reported that, when they have transaction issues, they are likely or very likely to question a company’s ability to keep their private information secure.

4. Successful transactions are more important than loyalty programs for travel consumers – For example, 92% of British consumers who have booked travel online reported that the ability to complete a transaction without encountering a problem was important or very important to them, whereas only 24% reported that the travel provider’s loyalty or rewards program was important or very important.

Associated Link: TeaLeaf

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