Last week, we pondered the state of online shopping. On one hand, it seems simply unstoppable with brands like Zara finally opening virtual department stores. On the other hand, there still seems to be a disconnect. There is that generation who doesn’t want to shop online because of security concerns or because the thought of using the technology wears them out. But maybe it isn’t just people of a certain age who are turning away from online shopping.
Marketing Pilgrim ran the results of an iPerception study about online shopping and the results confirm that folks of all ages aren’t feeling the love. iPerception reports that only 60 percent of shoppers who visited a site with the intention of buying came away with what they wanted. Forty-two percent said they abandoned ship because they couldn’t find what they wanted, while 30 percent found the item they wanted but it wasn’t available. All of this adds up to major shopping frustration for people who honestly wanted to spend their money but because of a website’s downfalls, weren’t allowed to.
As marketers and small business owners alike, these statistics are a wake-up call. A big part of digital engagement is making sure the website we’re directing folks to from social media actually work. We can email market our little hearts out but if the dang website is hard to use, it’s a lost cause. While thankfully most of us marketing types are in charge of sparkle (and we’ll keep it that way, thank you very much) it is our responsibility to check and see if our client’s websites are working and easy to navigate.
So let’s hear from you, dear readers. Tell us your online shopping nightmares. Share your tips on keeping your site in shape and easy to use. And lastly, what sites do you love/loathe to shop on.
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