Almost three quarters of UK shoppers (72%) think that retailers could do more to make their ecommerce websites more engaging, research from the latest report from thinkTRIBE (formerly SciVisum), a leading web performance and testing service provider, reveals.
Original research of 2,000 UK consumers in the ‘Preparing for perma-peak: The changing face of the trading calendar’ report reveals that a further 79% of consumers felt retailers could do more to make their websites easier to shop.
Topping the list of improvements that shoppers felt would enhance their online buying journeys was faster loading webpages (54%), followed by smoother online checkout processes (52%) and improved site navigation to make it easier to find items on the website.
When it came to site speed, this capability proved critical in driving conversions and reducing cart abandonment for shoppers. Slow loading websites proved to be UK consumers’ biggest bugbear while shopping online for 48%, while over a third (37%) said slow site speed would cause them to abandon a purchase.
Speed also proved a key consideration in improving online checkout experiences, with 75% of shoppers saying that retailers should make the online checkout process faster and almost a third (31%) suggesting one click authentication should be offered by retailers to make online payments quicker.
Shoppers also cited speed and ease of finding a product critical in converting them to make a purchase – almost three quarters (73%) said they would give up and try and find a product elsewhere if site navigation was poor and they couldn’t quickly find what they were looking for on a retailer’s website.
Deri Jones, CEO at thinkTRIBE, commented:
“Online user experience and website performance is critical – not just in securing conversions and reducing basket abandonment, but also in driving customer lifetime value. Our research shows that three quarters of shoppers feel poor web experiences negatively impact their impressions of a brand and would make them less loyal to retailers. Central to supporting enhanced online experiences is ensuring that platforms remain in a state of readiness, prepared for peak demand and peak website traffic, else retailers run the risk of squandering significant sales and hard-won customer loyalty.”