skip to main content

2,634 shops listed | Last updated: Thursday, March 28, 2024

Monitor Add a site

Consumers clamour for aid during e-commerce sprees

Monday, February 4, 2013 - 12:03 by Simon Crisp

Share on

A report has found that 83 per cent of people look for assistance while shopping online.

In addition, if that support is not forthcoming or easily found on a retailer's site, consumers will happily head elsewhere and shop with a competitor that can give them the help they need.

Over five and half thousand people from North America and Europe took part in a survey conducted by LivePerson, with the results clearly showing that consumers are not afraid to get e-commerce advice to make their online shopping trips a little smoother.

There are a number of ways for retailers to offer this support, including the prominent placement of contact numbers or even the inclusion of a live chat service, that lets customers engage with representatives in real time.

There is clearly a parallel with the high street experience here, because consumers are used to being able to ask a shop assistant if and when they encounter a problem, or have a question that needs to be answered.

A number of situations can cause consumers to seek aid while enjoying safe shopping online and the survey found that the most common issue is unexpected delivery costs, with 70 per cent of respondents citing this as a major reason for abandoning an e-commerce cart and looking elsewhere.

Almost a third of those questioned said that they often had trouble finding the help tools on retailer sites, which suggests that companies need to increase the visibility of these or else face losing custom to better equipped rivals.

Just over half the respondents said that they would give up on a retailer's site after making one attempt to get help, which means there is a very small window during which retailers can act to prevent customers going elsewhere.