Online shoppers 'want direct communication'

21st April 2008

Web users want to combine e-commerce with personal advice from sales representatives, a new report indicates.

Research published in March by Opinion Research Corporation found that 23 per cent of respondents cited being unable to discuss their purchase with a member of customer service staff as the most frustrating thing about online shopping.

The most prominent frustration identified in the survey was finding that the purchased item did not resemble its website image, which was named as an irritant by 24 per cent of respondents.

Other bugbears included site malfunctions during payment processing and unclear returns policies.

Linda Shea of the research firm said: "This suggests that there is ample opportunity to create competitive differentiation and to establish best practice in the online shopping space."

She added that brand perception can be a casualty of poor customer service, which has the potential to damage more than just individual stores.

A recent E-consultancy report recommended that "better merchandising and customer facing operations" are essential for online retail success.