More consumers are using the internet for online shopping in the UK than any other major country, with nine out of ten people saying they used the internet for purchases and services in 2011. The UK has been described as “a nation of online shoppers” with a rising number of consumers using various forms of technology to shop online, reveals a report by Regulator Ofcom. Smartphones are being used increasingly to make purchases with 46 per cent of users buying via their phones in October alone.
As more consumers are using their electronic devices to purchase goods it is vital that retailers respond by improving and maintaining their online services. Keith Brown, Managing Director of mobile phone payment solutions firm Paythru, says that many retailers don’t have sites that are adaptable for mobile phones and that 40 per cent of people leave mobile sites due to problems with completing their purchases.
“Unlike e-commerce, the real opportunity with m-commerce comes from increasing customer value and loyalty by understanding their unique purchasing behaviour from practically anywhere: in the food aisle, at the dinner table, standing in a queue or walking down the street,” said Mr Brown.
Performance improvement and mystery shopping expert Douglas Stafford can develop an electronic mystery shopping programme tailored for your business to monitor company websites and to see how well your team responds to online queries. “Minimising customer input online is key to attracting business, whether it is from past, present or new customers,” says Rohan Tailor, Douglas Stafford’s Electronic and Audio Production Manager.
“Making your business easy to work with is absolutely vital. Companies invest thousands of pounds in their online presence but they often fail to test websites and responses from their customers’ points of view. Email enquiries should be dealt with effectively and promptly and if this doesn’t happen then customers will go elsewhere.”
For more details go to www.douglasstafford.com or call Kathleen Field on 02392 830011 or email: Kathleen Field