Latest study reveals that three-quarters of Australian consumers are planning to use ecommerce in the lead-up to Christmas, yet many of them also admit to frustration over the online shopping experience.
Three-quarters of Australian consumers are planning to do the majority of their Christmas shopping online, but with 70 percent experiencing frustration last year the pressure is on retailers to ensure their ecommerce platforms are up to scratch. The research also found that 74 percent of consumers plan to do some or most of their Christmas shopping online, while 52 percent plan to shop at home in the evenings, and 53 percent intend to send season’s greetings on Christmas day via social media channels. Items being purchased include: gifts (59 percent), drinks (11 percent), and travel tickets to see family and friends (17 percent). In terms of devices, 13 percent will be shopping online using a tablet, up 7 percent year-on-year. Smartphone usage is also up the same percentage to 11 percent this year.
Still, retailers have some way to ensure the online shopping experience meets expectations. Nearly 70 percent of shoppers said they experienced online frustration last Christmas, and more than 40 percent either abandoned their purchase completely or tried a different website because of these issues. The results from this study suggest strongly that all businesses with an online presence – not just retailers – must be more prepared long time before the Christmas rush.
It is suggested that any of the frustrations cited by respondents can be easily foreseen. Retailers should be ready preparing, planning and testing in advance for any traffic spikes. It is extremely important to provide the best user experience to the consumers. To deliver on the core essentials and to back that with a top shelf customer care unit could be the difference between success and failure. Not planning for the festive crowds is a missed opportunity when you consider how much business can be lost simply because you didn’t take the time to test your site and provide a great online customer experience. Thus, it would be better for retailers to do a regular check and test capacity by undertaking a full audit of their web hosting environment, as well as load test websites.