Paul Nadin thinks people are often
disappointed by the online experience
Online shoppers are abandoning their baskets before buying because of website complications, according to a leading online entrepreneur.
Websites taking too long to load and failing to stock the right products are two of the biggest bugbears of online shoppers, says Paul Nadin, founder of The Review Centre, a consumer review website.
"Shopping online is easy and quick, or so we are led to believe, but some consumers are finding the process too lengthy and complicated,” says Nadin.
"Some websites want too much personal detail from shoppers, which puts people off, while others don't show images of the products available.
"Even if shoppers get through to the checkout stage, they can find e-stores only accept credit card payments or they could be faced with an unreasonable delivery charge," he added.
The online retail market has grown considerably in recent years. UK shoppers spent £46.6bn online in 2007, an increase of 54% on the year before, and the market is likely to grow for a while yet.
However, although consumers prefer the comfort of browsing online to the traffic and people congestion entailed by shopping on the high street, Nadin thinks shoppers are unwilling to accept lower service levels.
"You wouldn't accept poor customer service in a shopping centre, nor would you expect your debit card to be refused as a method of payment, so why would you put up with it online?
"The rise of internet shopping has made the retail market more competitive and has therefore raised the bar of what we consider acceptable shopping standards.
"Shoppers want a fast, easy shopping experience and e-retailers need to address issues which are stopping shoppers buying. Making an internet transaction as easy as possible means happy customers and easy profits for online retailers."
