Customers willing to spend online if service is there

More than one in three consumers would spend more online if they were offered better customer care or advice, according to a new survey

The research found 30% of customers preferred shopping on the high street. For 47% that was where better customer care was to be found, while 35% said they could tap into advice and support more easily in shops.

Consumers also thought prices were better on the high street, according to 61%. But at the same time, it seems customers believe they can get more choice online. Only 14% said it was easier to find what they wanted online than in a store, while 51% said the range offered online was better than on the high street. More than one in three (35%) said they would spend more online if higher levels of service and customer care were on offer.

The survey carried out by YouGov for behavioural merchandising specialists Avail Intelligence asked its 2,107 respondents to rank the improvements online retailers could make in order to encourage them to spend more. They came up with: customer care (22%), pricing (14%), advice and support (12%), product information (10%), navigation (9%) and range of products (5%).

“It’s clear that shoppers would spend more online if they had access to the recommendations and advice they currently get when visiting a physical store,” said Pontus Kristiansson, chief executive and co-founder of Avail Intelligence. “The challenge for retailers is offering that without impacting its cost base so much that it takes away the benefit consumers see in terms of lower prices online.”

He adds: “The findings also suggest retailers should be doing more to create a consistent shopping experience cross-channel for its customers. For example, the range and volume of products stocked by a store is determined by floor space. The simple addition of a web-enabled kiosk could link in-store and online and provide shoppers with access to a wide range of products, increasing the chance they’ll make a purchase with you and not a competitor.”