June 21, 2017 Industry news
In the competitive world of online retail, delivering on customer expectations is essential to create customers for life. Drapers and GS1 UK partnered together to survey 2,000 UK shoppers to find out what they look for when shopping online.
With the rise of multichannel shopping, retailers are embracing technology both online and offline. From personalised websites to in-store interactive mirrors, it’s an exciting time to be a customer. But, with all these new devices and platforms, retailers are making significant investments in services to offer more convenience for their customers. But are the little things that customers really appreciate potentially being neglected?
Customers want accurate product data
Regardless of which type of category retailers are selling in, customers shopping online are dependent on product information to make purchase decisions. But, as it stands, 80% of data in the UK is inaccurate or incomplete.
“The thing that surprised me most about the survey results was the amount of customers who don’t trust product information online,“ explains Jacky Broomhead, Market Development Manager at GS1 UK. “Less than 20% said they often trust the information about products they see on retailers’ websites and that impacts how likely they are to purchase. How products are depicted and described online and the quality of that information is so key to converting the customer.”
One of the biggest retailer experiences taken away with shopping is the ‘try before you buy’ option. Customers are dependent on product information to make informed purchasing decisions and the information varies by gender. 70% of the surveyed 2,000 UK female customers said that pictures and price are very important, while 57% of men said measurements proved more important.
Inaccurate product information also leads to costly returns to retailers. More than 70% of UK customers said they would return a product that did not match an online description, and 30% said they would avoid shopping on that website again.
Customers want a clear representation of products
A clear representation of the product is another important factor to shoppers; 44% of women said it was the single most important aspect of online shopping. Sheraz Ramzan, Business Development Director at Quiz, says they use high resolution model shots and videos on their website to give a clear representation of products.
“We supplement this with more detailed product descriptions and material compositions. Through social media, we are able to showcase our products on a range of bloggers, celebrities and customers. Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram are particularly powerful tools for achieving this and allow shoppers to view our products on a wide variety of body shapes, sizes and backgrounds.”
Customers want good quality clothing for a reasonable price. When ordering online, customers want to trust the images and videos of the clothing they’re about to purchase, and they expect it to match the product that arrives to their home.
Read the full report here