Despite a Surge in Popularity, Online Channel Remains Flawed

While nearly 90 percent of the 1,092 respondents surveyed in the latest Ouch Point survey from Opinion Research Corp., an infoUSA company, said they shop online, the marketing channel is still far from perfect. Twenty-four percent of the respondents cited purchased items having no resemblance to their images on the Internet as their biggest online shopping frustration. Here are some more noteworthy findings of the survey.

* The inability to speak with a customer service representative at an online store was the second most cited frustration with online shopping (23 percent), followed by learning that items are back-ordered or out of stock after they’re in the cart (19 percent), Web site malfunctions during the payment process (14 percent), unclear return policies (8 percent), unclear shipping information (6 percent), and not receiving an acknowledgment after the order has been placed (6 percent);

* 27 percent of the respondents named Amazon.com as the company offering the best online shopping experience;

* 21 percent couldn’t identify a company that offers the best online shopping experience; and

* of those surveyed, the demographics most likely to make a purchase online were women ages 25-44, residents of the Northeastern section of the country and households with incomes of $75,000 or more.

For more information, go to www.opinionresearch.com .