Amazon is the UK’s (and other country’s) biggest online retailer
Who are the UK’s top performing online retailers and what are they proving to be particularly good at. We take a look at EpiServer’s latest report into ecommerce performance to find out.
According to the research, online retailers in the UK scored a lower average score against best practice in 2012 than 2011 with 58% compared with 63%. The top five sites however reached an average score of 68% making an improvement on the following year. It seems our best performing sites are striving for improvement.
So who are they? The top five are as follows:
1. Amazon – 72.5%
2. Marks & Spencer – 70%
3. House of Fraser – 66%
4. ASOS – 65%
5. Argos – 65%
The sites were judged across four different key areas, website experience, browsing, buying and after sales. The site with the most even spread across all of these areas was Amazon. “This shows that the company has carefully considered the entire shopping journey and implemented best practice at every stage,” says the report.
Breaking the sections down however there were companies that fared better than Amazon.
Website Experience
The report found that when shopping online, customers placed the greatest importance on easy navigation (92%) and effective product search (89%). Another one of the critical areas was identified as customer service.
Mark & Spencer and Debenhams got the best overall scores for customer experience.
Mark & Spencer was rated highly because of its ease of navigation but also because of the editorial on the site which gives consumers extra value with their visits. M&S Stories acts as an online lifestyle magazine, packed with interviews and recipes.
Debenhams wide range of customer service options pushed it to the top as well as its Beauty Card Loyalty Scheme.
Browsing
Having a look around the site before decided to buy is an important step in any online shoppers’ journey. Unfortunately the average score by retailers in this department was only 62%. The most important elements of the browsing experience were cited as effective product search and detailed specific information.
The biggest mismatch in this area was in providing video content. Almost 50% of customers considered video as an important expectation yet only one in four retailers provide any video content.
The retailers who came out on top in this area were M&S and Very. Both sites were commended for their attention to detail and effort when it came to user reviews, product recommendations and video content.
Buying
Most retailers are well aware of the importance of the checkout process. A huge percentage of sales are lost at this point as shoppers get put off by things such as high shipping costs and lengthy payment forms to fill out.
Clearly defined shipping costs came out on top as the most important element of the buying process for customers and overall the retailers scored 77% here. The biggest mismatch came in a clearly defined returns policy which 88% of shoppers feel is important yet only one in ten retailers display these details during checkout.
Amazon was the clear winner in this department with a “painless purchase process, scoring top marks for speedy checkout (including a ‘1-Click ordering’ option), free shipping, support for multiple payment options, and a clearly displayed returns policy.”
After sales
When it comes to shopping online verses in-store, one of the biggest drawbacks is the wait between ordering and paying for a product and actually receiving it. This annoyance can be managed with effective communication.
According to the results, one in three retailers disappointed customers when it came to providing an email notification of dispatch. Customer expectations now also include text notification along the delivery journey which only one in five retailers provide.
Absent from the other top spots, Apple, Topshop, River Island and Boots all came out on top in this area. Online order tracking, email notifications, SMS alerts and on-time delivery were all reasons cited for their good performance.
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UK’s shoppers love buying online. According to research released by Ofcom at the end of last year internet shopping is more popular in the UK than any other major country in the world. UK consumers have broken the £1,000-a-year spend barrier on internet shopping – more than any of the other 17 countries involved in the research.
But who are the UK’s top performing online retailers and what are they proving to be particularly good at. We take a look at EpiServer’s latest report into ecommerce performance to find out.
According to the research, online retailers in the UK scored a lower average score against best practice in 2012 than 2011 with 58% compared with 63%. The top five sites however reached an average score of 68% making an improvement on the following year. It seems our best performing sites are striving for improvement.
So who are they? The top five are as follows:
1. Amazon – 72.5%
2. Marks & Spencer – 70%
3. House of Fraser – 66%
4. ASOS – 65%
5. Argos – 65%
The sites were judged across four different key areas, website experience, browsing, buying and after sales. The site with the most even spread across all of these areas was Amazon. “This shows that the company has carefully considered the entire shopping journey and implemented best practice at every stage,” says the report.
Breaking the sections down however there were companies that fared better than Amazon.
Website Experience
The report found that when shopping online, customers placed the greatest importance on easy navigation (92%) and effective product search (89%). Another one of the critical areas was identified as customer service.
Mark & Spencer and Debenhams got the best overall scores for customer experience.
Mark & Spencer was rated highly because of its ease of navigation but also because of the editorial on the site which gives consumers extra value with their visits. M&S Stories acts as an online lifestyle magazine, packed with interviews and recipes.
Debenhams wide range of customer service options pushed it to the top as well as its Beauty Card Loyalty Scheme.
Browsing
Having a look around the site before decided to buy is an important step in any online shoppers’ journey. Unfortunately the average score by retailers in this department was only 62%. The most important elements of the browsing experience were cited as effective product search and detailed specific information.
The biggest mismatch in this area was in providing video content. Almost 50% of customers considered video as an important expectation yet only one in four retailers provide any video content.
The retailers who came out on top in this area were M&S and Very. Both sites were commended for their attention to detail and effort when it came to user reviews, product recommendations and video content.
Buying
Most retailers are well aware of the importance of the checkout process. A huge percentage of sales are lost at this point as shoppers get put off by things such as high shipping costs and lengthy payment forms to fill out.
Clearly defined shipping costs came out on top as the most important element of the buying process for customers and overall the retailers scored 77% here. The biggest mismatch came in a clearly defined returns policy which 88% of shoppers feel is important yet only one in ten retailers display these details during checkout.
Amazon was the clear winner in this department with a “painless purchase process, scoring top marks for speedy checkout (including a ‘1-Click ordering’ option), free shipping, support for multiple payment options, and a clearly displayed returns policy.”
After sales
When it comes to shopping online verses in-store, one of the biggest drawbacks is the wait between ordering and paying for a product and actually receiving it. This annoyance can be managed with effective communication. According to the results, one in three retailers disappointed customers when it came to providing an email notification of dispatch. Customer expectations now also include text notification along the delivery journey which only one in five retailers provide.
Absent from the other top spots, Apple, Topshop, River Island and Boots all came out on top in this area. Online order tracking, email notifications, SMS alerts and on-time delivery were all reasons cited for their good performance.
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