Research Highlights Bright Spots and Blind Spots for Holiday '03 Shopping Online |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (January 8, 2004) Ten/Resource, formerly Resource Marketing, today published highlights of their seventh annual evaluation of the online consumer shopping experience for Holiday 2003. Lessons from the Field is a recap of the best and worst of online shopping experiences at 40 leading Web sites.
Web sites that were noted as bright spots include Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, Lowe's and Barnes and Noble, while Amazon, Hallmark and Abercrombie & Fitch are noted as having blind spots.
Unlike years past, much of the news was positive, confirming industry reports of a comeback season for online shopping and spending. "Retailers gave online shoppers a lot to celebrate this holiday," said Ten/Resource President Kelly Mooney. "In addition to a stronger focus on gifting and promotions namely a free shipping bonanza the increased product selections and enhanced functionality that let consumers search for and view products with greater ease resulted in many smooth, seamless experiences for shoppers," said Mooney.
However the season wasn't completely blemish-free. After hundreds of purchases in categories from electronics to apparel, the report highlights several problem areas, including difficulty with search functions, prohibiting consumers from finding their desired items, as well as significant confusion around the shipping promotions. Also noted was a lack of momentum around the integration of stores, catalogs and Web sites.
"Holiday '03 was a mixture of delights and disappointments, filled with opportunities for retailers to keep growing, innovating and pushing this industry into the future," said Mooney.
More information can be found at www.resource.com/perspective/newsletter2003.php.