Merchants must learn from past experience to take full online advantage of Generation Consumer come November 27th
With Black Friday fast approaching, retailers must ensure their websites are able to cope with dramatically increased online traffic from savvy consumers, says Tryzens. With sales expected to top Ł1bn, eCommerce businesses that do not anticipate consumers’ needs and expectations will miss out on increased sales opportunities over the weekend and risk disappointing customers.
Andy Burton, CEO for retail systems integrator Tryzens, commented: “Retailers operating online have an undeniably significant opportunity through the peak trading period. But with that comes a form of duty to avoid the pitfalls encountered by some sites last year around performance and the end-to-end customer experience including stock availability and delivery timeframes. Our research into the needs and habits of modern online shoppers, Generation Consumer, found that poor experiences when shopping online (including difficult navigation, site crashes or unresponsive designs) could turn customers away from one site and onto another, especially if searching for a bargain. Customers are hard won, and bad experiences last long in the memory!”
“In addition, retailers cannot ignore the rise in mobile and tablet use, especially in younger demographics when shopping online. We found that 92 per cent of 16-18 year old consumers use smartphones to shop online, as well as 82 per cent of those aged 19-25. Ecommerce businesses need to make sure their design and support for mobile shoppers is a high priority in their roadmaps and if they have not acted yet, will be too late for this year’s peak period. Failing to provide a positive mobile experience could not only lose sales, but also create a poor relationship between a brand and its shrewd and increasingly tech savvy audience. Retailers therefore must enable consumers to shop on their device of choice to take full advantage of the opportunities peak trading presents.”
Tryzens’ research, UK Online Shopping Consumer Preferences provides insight into the choices, experiences, preferences and behaviours of UK consumers based on gender, age, income level and region.
Burton concluded: “Ensuring that consumers are able to shop how, when and where they like will be vital for retailers this Black Friday. Enabling this through a robust, responsive and well supported website is essential. Get the basics right and the rest will follow – don’t miss out on the most dynamic weekend in retail!”
The full white paper can be downloaded by visiting:
http://tryzens.com/expertresearch/
