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Pour on the promotions Free shipping, coupons, and first-time-buyer discounts were cited by more than 70% of respondents as "likely to convince" them to purchase from merchants they might not otherwise consider. Get up to speed Slow Web sites frustrated more online shoppers (48%) than any other potential problem last season. Be on time On a scale of 1 to 10, on-time delivery scored a 9 in terms of its impact on a customer's likelihood to buy again. When consumers asked what would make them unlikely to return to a merchant's site, late delivery was cited as the No. 1 reason in five out of six product categories. Don't ignore impulses Sites should be designed to encourage impulse buying: 36% of last year's shoppers threw some items in their baskets that they didn't originally intend to purchase. Take back the goods Only 40% of Web merchants who participate in BizRate allowed returns last season. Yet 70% of customers polled cited return policies as important in affecting their online-purchasing decisions. If at first you don't succeed... Merchants can lure back unhappy shoppers, especially if they offer discounts on future purchases. Just 13% of shoppers who reported dissatisfaction with a retailer said they would never go back. By Arlene Weintraub in Los Angeles |
