Customers still suffer problems with online orders

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - 11:42 by Graham Miller

While many people make purchases online without incident, a new survey from YouGov, reveals that there are still many incidences of dissatisfaction with the e-commerce order process among UK consumers.

Forty seven per cent of the 2,000 adults who were questioned in the study said that they had encountered some form of issue when placing an order online in the past year.

More worrying for retailers is the fact that 71 per cent said that they would probably be motivated to shop with a rival company, in the event of any problems occurring with a previous order.

Close to two thirds of respondents said that one of the factors which plays a big part in helping them choose which retailer they use when carrying out safe shopping online, is the type of returns policy that is in place. Companies which make it easier to return damaged, incorrect or unwanted items win more favour with consumers than those that do not.

Less than a fifth of people think that next day delivery is essential to the online shopping experience, with half stating that the convenience of the entire process is the most important aspect to take into account.

A quarter of those questioned pointed to price as being an influence on where they shop on the web. So perhaps retailers will need to realign their priorities when creating sites, to cater to modern consumers, focusing on convenience rather than purely on speedy delivery or the cost of products.

The competitive nature of the e-commerce market in the UK can lead to something of a race to the bottom, with major retailers attempting to outdo each other with low cost offerings. But this misses the point that is repeatedly made in surveys; people prefer to be able to shop in peace with as few problems as possible.