Consumer Praise Lessens for Marketers’ Web Sites

As the focus of many multichannel catalogers shifts to online sales, it appears many of their Web sites aren’t prepared to handle increased quantities of orders. In a recent survey conducted by Decision Direct Research, the marketing research arm of list firm the Millard Group, consumers said product selection from specific brands meeting their expectations is decreasing. Of the nearly 50,000 online shoppers who completed the survey, 65 percent indicated that product selection doesn’t match what they’ve come to expect from specific brands, a 10 percent drop from last year. Other highlights from the survey follow.

* “Excellent” scores for the “unique product not found elsewhere” category dropped from 53 percent two years ago to 48 percent this year;

* 60 percent of the respondents found multichannel Web sites well laid out and easy to shop, a 28 percent decrease from 2004;

* 58 percent said multichannel Web sites offer a reliable and accurate product search option, down from 86 percent in 2004;

* 58 percent said multichannel Web sites provide detailed, accurate product descriptions, compared to 84 percent in 2005;

* 57 percent believe multichannel Web sites offer an easy checkout process, down a whopping 34 percent from just two years ago; and

* 55 percent of respondents felt items on multichannel Web sites matched their online descriptions, down from 86 percent in 2005.

Millard has conducted the quarterly customer insight surveys since 2002 to provide catalogers and e-commerce retailers with data regarding their customers’ shopping behavior, as well as their perception of catalogers’ Web sites.