Report: Positive Online Customer Experiences Remain Critical to E-Commerce Success

Research from UserReplay shows that providing a superior online customer experience is and will continue to be an area of strategic importance for e-commerce businesses. However, many businesses are struggling with delivering optimal customer experiences because they’re only aware of half the difficulties customers experience on their website.

The researchers found that 89 percent of respondents (directors and managers of e-commerce businesses) believe customer experience is a significant differentiator in their sector, yet 85 percent cited understanding why customers struggle with their website as a business challenge.

This challenge can be costly if left unaddressed: sub-optimal customer experiences reduce online conversion rates by 43 percent, reduce repeat business by 30 percent and erode online revenue potential by 28 percent.

Why are businesses blind to online customer issues? Forty percent of respondents cited the transition to mobile access and its impact on usability and sales as one obstacle in understanding the full truth of online customer experience, while 33 believed a lack of tools and technology to quantify online customer issues is the problem.

Despite these obstacles, online businesses must adapt to the changing technological landscape, according to researchers. E-commerce businesses with a sub-optimal customer experience will face consequences in a time of “increased consumer fickleness, where every website click really does count and the customer journey moves from device-to-device and channel-to-channel.”

Customer Experience in the B2B Industry

A recent report shows that one quarter of B2B respondents view customer experience as the greatest opportunity for B2B marketing in the next five years. B2B prospects are now expecting consumer-like experiences, a fact that turning businesses’ focus toward personalization and improving customer experience.