Sizing and product dimensions are on obvious issue. As a bare minimum customers expect to find the size / dimensions. They expect them to be relevant to their country and they expect the delivered goods to match the described size. It takes effort to return goods that don’t fit, and the amount of effort along every step of the way directly impacts user experience.
Response Samples
Among the top nuisance factors in online retail are various interruptions such as advertising or pop-ups followed by shipping, pricing and website speed. Additional findings surfaced in this study offer insight into less talked-about issues. For example, we found that “shopping experience” starts before users land on the website. In this article we break down top frustrations by showing main observations, sample of responses and main takeaways.
Quick Summary
- Analysis Date: February 2020
- Country: Australia
- Sample: 2,000 Respondents
- Survey Type: Open-Ended
Not being able to calculate postage until the payment stage
Male 45-54 VIC
Not getting what I paid for and having to chase it up
Male 45-54 WA
When the product does not arrive
Female 25-34 NSW-Ashfield
Post and packaging charges not being clear until too late
Female 45-54 NSW
not knowing cost of delivery until final page and, because of that cost, having to cancel the purchase as a total waste of time and effort.
Female 65+ SA
Postage costs being high to make up for discounted products and you don’t find that out till well into ordering
Male 55-64 QLD
Waiting
Female 45-54 VIC
Takeaways
- People hate waiting. Tackling instant gratification in the context of online shopping is a challenge.
- In addition to parcel tracking, helping customers plan their shopping so the goods arrive when needed might help soothe the “wait-ache”.
- No surprises please! Whether the item can be shipped to the customer and how much it will cost needs to be evident in the start of the shopping process, not at the checkout. The alternative is shopping cart abandonment.
- Avoid tricks. Discounting product price and inflating shipping costs to compensate might trick a few customers, but it won’t build loyalty.
- Work with reliable couriers with low rate of misplaced and lost packages.
3. Pricing
Our interpretation of the data available is as follows:
- Ads are good when they’re interesting, relevant, timely and unobtrusive.
- Ads are bad if they’re irrelevant, excessive, repetitive or disruptive.
- Online shopping experience is not limited to on-site activities. It begins off-site in user’s social feeds, search results and content.
- Online retailers should broaden their understanding of user experience to include external factors including branding activities, social interactions and content.
- Careful consideration must be given to re-marketing as it appears to irritate two types of users.
- First group is those who are not interested and will not be interested, or in other words wrongly targeted.
- The second group is those who have already purchased the product and expect advertising for it to cease.
- Ads that run for too long irritate users who are not interested in the products and services advertised.
2. Shipping
When something lags especially during payment
Male 35-44 SA
When there is a internet problem and I can’t get any further
Female 25-34 VIC
pages slow to load, complicated websites without easy to follow navigation
Female 65+ WA
Hard website to navigate to purchase – taking too long
Male 35-44 VIC
Slow payment gateways, having to wait for the payment to complete
Male 55-64 NSW
When the website times me out before I have made a decision and completed my purchase.
Male 65+ NSW
Takeaways
- Have a fast and simple to use website.
- Consider switching to “light” website mode for users with slow connection.
- Allow customers to resume their shopping experience past the expired session or broken connection. Be helpful and give them something more than just an empty shopping cart.
- Process payment as a background process while user is taken to the next step of their shopping experience.
5. Pop-Ups
Users prefer straightforward checkouts with no surprises. They also hate to enter credit card details and like to have their favourite payment method included.
Response Samples
Prices not given in my currency
Male 55-64 NSW
when websites don’t show the price and you have to request a quote
Male 25-34 NSW
No prices without registering
Male 45-54 WA
misrepresentation of prices – not including taxes and charges in the total advertised price
Unknown QLD
Takeaways
- Show prices straight away, not after login or quote request.
- Show prices in the correct currency.
- If possible, ensure that the price is inclusive of taxes, shipping handling and any other charges.
4. Slow
Dan Petrovic, the managing director of DEJAN, is Australia’s best-known name in the field of search engine optimisation. Dan is a web author, innovator and a highly regarded search industry event speaker.
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