Survey: Online shopper satisfaction rises
"The state of the economy really forced e-retail to step up their game," Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee, said in a statement. "Since so much of the financial downturn was out of their control, companies turned to those things they could improve, and now they are reaping the benefits. Customer satisfaction is not a byproduct of a healthy economy. Instead, a healthy economy is a consequence of satisfied customers."The results of the survey are significant for retail companies, points out ForeSee. Compared to unhappy consumers, a happy online shopper is 73 percent more likely to purchase an item via the Net, 72 percent more likely to recommend it, and 47 percent more likely to buy it offline. To put that in dollars, ForeSee has found that even a 1 percent increase in a retailer's satisfaction level can predict an $89 million boost in sales, regardless of the size of the company.Several factors lead to a satisfied online customer, according to the study, including fair and competitive prices, variety and availability of products, usability of the retailer's Web site, and accuracy and quality of information on the site.The study was compiled via a method developed at the University of Michican and was based on surveys of more than 23,000 visitors to the top 100 online retailers in terms of sales volume.
