A study conducted by Performance Research Associates, Minneapolis, says e-shoppers are not satisfied with the online shopping experience as it stands.
The study, to be released this week, took place over the last quarter of 1999 and the first quarter of 2000. The study had professional mystery shoppers and an equal number of volunteer shoppers who visited 744 sites. The shoppers rated the sites with A’s, B’s and C’s and by whether they would visit the site again or recommend the site to a friend. Out of the 744 sites, only 14 were rated “would visit again.”
The study also included a focus group of consumers who shopped during the Christmas 1999 season. No one in the group could name a “great” or “good” site, and shoppers said they would recommend only a handful of sites – amazon.com, godiva.com, jcrew.com and cdnow.com – to friends.
“To be blunt, our shoppers found Web-based shopping to be mostly boring, frequently frustrating and seldom a pleasure,” said Ron Zemke, president of Performance Research. “We were very surprised by the reactions of both our shoppers and the focus group participants.”
The complete study will be available March 21 by calling 612/338-8523.
