The Customer Shopping Experience Online

SUMMARY

The days of search, point and click-to-cart shopping are rapidly disappearing. Today's online customers expect - and demand - a much richer experience from retailers in every category.

The Customer Shopping Experience Online report analyzes the new trends, tactics and tools that are reshaping the way retailers do business, online and off.

Increasingly, online consumers expect more from the online shopping experience. Retail Websites must have powerful search and navigation, quality product information, simple checkout and cross-channel shopping options.

However, in this new and highly competitive environment, retailers must overcome serious IT and organizational issues before they can deliver the seamless cross-channel options demanded by customers.

These challenges are not stopping Web retailers from investing in new technologies to create a more compelling online shopping experience. Expanded video capabilities, 3D virtual Websites and interactive dressing rooms are just some of the innovations on the horizon.

Key questions “The Customer Shopping Experience Online” report answers:

• What do consumers expect from online retailers?
• How effective are Web retailers at meeting those expectations?
• How important is the cross-channel shopping option?
• How is social media changing the online shopping experience?
• How will consumers shop online in the future?
• And many others.....

eMarketer Reports - On Target and Up to Date

The Customer Shopping Experience Online report aggregates the latest data from marketing and communications researchers with eMarketer analysis to provide the information you need to make smart, timely business decisions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

• Online Product Research and Shopping Features Planned by US Online Businesses, 2008 (% of respondents)
• Key Questions

The eMarketer View

Today's Online Shopper

• Rising Expectations
  • US Online Holiday Shoppers' Expectations About the Quality of Online Shopping, January 2008 (% of respondents)
  • Leading Retail Site Features* According to US Online Holiday Shoppers, January 2008 (% of respondents)
  • Website Features that Are Very Important to US Online Shoppers, June-July 2007 (% of respondents)
  • Leading Challenges to Creating a Unique Online Shopping Experience According to Winning* Retail Executives Worldwide, May-June 2008 (% of respondents)
  • Select E-Business Priorities Next Year Among Customer Experience Decision-Makers at Large Online Businesses* in North America, by Importance, Q4 2007 (% of respondents)
  • Online Product Research and Shopping Tools Offered and Planned by US Online Businesses, 2008 (% of respondents)
• Social Media's Influence on Shopping Behavior
  • Select Online and Mobile Activities of US Online Buyers, by Age, July-August 2008 (% of respondents in each group)
  • Social Networking Sites on Which US Online Retailers Maintain a Page, August 2008 (% of respondents)
  • 30 Major US Online Retailers that Have a Fan Page on Facebook, May 2008
  • Agreement of US Internet Users that Their Choice of Companies and Brands Is due to Customer Care Experience Information Shared Online, February-March 2008 (% of respondents)
  • Leading Online Resources of Customer Care Experience Information Among US Internet Users*, February-March 2008 (average score on 0-5 scale)

Product Information

• Most Important Resources for Influencing Product Purchase According to US Online Shoppers, 2008 (scale of 1-5*)
• Online Product Research and Shopping Information Offered or Planned by US Online Businesses, 2008 (% of respondents)
• Most Important Online Retail Site Features* When Selecting and Purchasing a Product According to US Online Buyers, November 2007 (% of respondents)
• Online Retail Categories for Which Detailed Product Information Is Most Important to US Online Shoppers, November 2007 (% of respondents)
• Degree to Which Content* Quality Influences US Online Shoppers' Interest in Buying from an Online Retail Site, November 2007 (% of respondents)
• Leading Website Priorities of US Online Retailers in the Next Year, 2007 (% of respondents)
• Rich Media Applications
  • Types of Rich Media Applications Used on Websites* of US Online Retailers, July 2007 (% of respondents)
  • Primary Function of Video on Websites* of US Online Retailers, July 2007 (% of respondents)
  • Select Rich Media Features on US Websites, November-December 2007 (% of respondents)
  • Select Rich Media Features Ranked as Highly Effective by US Website Operators, November-December 2007 (% of respondents)

Website Design and Usability

• Leading Retail Site Customer Service Features According to US Online Holiday Shoppers, by Gender, January 2008 (% of respondents)
• Website Design Priorities of US Online Retailers this Year, by Business Model, July 2007 (% of respondents in each group)
• Online Product Research and Shopping Features Planned by US Online Businesses, 2008 (% of respondents)
• Website Technologies that Are Most Potentially Valuable vs. Currently Effective for Increasing Online Sales According to Retail Executives Worldwide, May-June 2008 (% of respondents)
• Alternative Payment Methods
  • Reasons that US Adult Online Buyers Use Payment Services Instead of Credit Cards, July 2007 (% of respondents)
  • US Internet Users Who Would Purchase More Online if Easier and More Secure Alternatives to Credit Cards Were Available, March 2007 (% of respondents)
  • Online Payment Method Options that US Online Retailers Have Offered or Added for the Holiday Season this Year, September 2007 (% of respondents)

Multichannel Retailing

• Cross-Channel Shopping Activities of Multichannel Retailers that Are Most Important to US Adult Consumers, January 2008 (% of respondents)
• Importance of Online Retailer Allowing Option of Picking Up or Returning Item at Store According to US Online Buyers, 2007 (% of respondents)
• US Online Buyers* Who Have Picked Up Purchase in Store vs. Used Shipping, by Primary Reason, February 2008 (% of respondents)
• Capability Among US Retailers for Allowing Customers to Pick Up and/or Return Purchases in Store When Purchased via Another Sales Channel*, April-May 2008 (% of respondents)
• Leading Challenges for Creating Cross-Channel E-Commerce Functionality According to Retail Executives Worldwide, May-June 2008 (% of respondents)

Personalization

• Most Important Factor of Online Retail Site for Which US Adult Internet Users Would Return, March 2008 (% of respondents)
• Attitudes of US Online Shoppers Toward Personalized Product Recommendations* on E-Commerce Websites, July 2007 (% of respondents)
• Value of Personal Product Recommendations on Retailer Websites According to US Online Shoppers*, Q2 2007 (% of respondents)
• Frequency with Which Products Recommended on a Website Are on Target According to US Online Buyers, April 2008 (% of respondents)
• Types of Online Content US Internet Users Would Like to See Personalized, by Age, 2007 (% of respondents)
• Top Five Obstacles to Implementing Personalization Programs According to US Online Retailers, April 2008 (% of respondents)
• US Online Retailers' Level of Customer Segmentation, 2005 & 2008 (% of respondents)

Trends to Watch

• Website Technologies that Are Most Promising for Online Customer Engagement According to Winning* vs. Lagging** Retail Executives Worldwide, May-June 2008 (% of respondents in each group)
• Leading Shopping Innovations that Primary US Household Shoppers Predict Will Be Widespread by 2015 (% of respondents)

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