skip to main content

2,634 shops listed | Last updated: Friday, March 29, 2024

Monitor Add a site

Online shoppers express annoyance during Christmas rush

Friday, December 10, 2010 - 09:28 by Mike Price

Share on

Research suggests that a quarter of people shopping online over the Christmas period can become frustrated, despite the fact that they are not having to brave the high street and can enjoy retail from the comfort of their home.

This analysis has come about by a study of Twitter feeds by Tealeaf, over the year's busiest days for online shopping, which came in quick succession this month.

By looking at the types of posts which were being made on the microblogging site it was able to determine that 24 per cent of people who were carrying out safe shopping online on these days, were complaining about their experiences in tweets.

The biggest issue which users of Twitter ranted about was the inability to finalise orders after spending time carefully filling their virtual shopping baskets with goods for the festive season.

On both Black Friday and Manic Monday, the Twittersphere was awash with conversations about safe shopping online, with more than a 200 per cent increase in mentions of e-commerce on these two key days.

What is most interesting is Tealeafs assertion that, although many people were complaining, the actual percentage of people who grumble about online shopping on Twitter did not change. This implies that many people are dissatisfied with their experience, even when the market is at its peak.

Tealeaf's Geoff Galat, said that the use of social networking sites like Twitter was allowing retailers to get a clearer picture of the way in which consumers are responding to specific online outlets. Poorly designed websites, voucher codes which do not work and other annoyances could cost global economies billions each year, according to Mr Galat.

Ten per cent of Christmas tweeters said that they had got a good deal while buying gifts online and the majority who spoke positively mentioned the fact that it is more convenient than visiting the high street.