Retailers are getting better and better at managing shipments, but any screw-up, and you lose the customer forever. However, I heard a lot fewer consumer horror stories this year. I think we got a little lucky this year; there were no major weather storms that played with logistics. |
Some companies have really figured out how to take customer satisfaction to the next level, and the stakes just keep getting higher. |
Something's not right here. Retailers are sacrificing profit margin during the holidays to attract customers, and people are still unhappy with price. |
The days leading up to the holiday pose a huge challenge for online retailers, who haven't yet figured out how to maintain high customer satisfaction during this critical juncture. |
The days leading up to the holiday pose a huge challenge for online retailers, who haven't yet figured out how to maintain high customer satisfaction during this critical juncture. Satisfaction drives loyalty, so retailers who kept holiday shoppers satisfied are more likely to benefit from their future business. |
The downward trend is due to consumers' increased expectations during the holiday season, a much larger influx of infrequent visitors that may not know how to navigate a site and shipping costs, and the unavailability of prominent items like the Xbox 360 due to low inventory. |
We saw a similar dip in overall satisfaction, search and ordering process last year, so this isn't a surprise. As we approach the holiday shipping deadline, pressured online shoppers are having a tougher time of finding the products they want and ordering the merchandise in time. |
We saw the same trends in lowered satisfaction and key behaviors tied to loyalty last year. However, last year's drops were far more significant. This year, online retailers did a better job managing customer expectations as the holiday shopping deadlines approached. In return, retailers will be rewarded with higher loyalty long after the holiday season comes to a close. |
We're already seeing that shoppers are more likely to return to the site than they were last week and more likely to purchase offline. This is a positive sign for retailers. |