In The News |
| November 20, 2006 |
Key Findings Indicate General Online Retail Improvements, Seamless Customer Experiences Set Leaders Apart
NEW YORK, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Blast Radius today identified
Amazon.com as America's Best Online Shopping Experience for the second year
in a row in a report based on extensive independent evaluation of the top
100 online retail sites. The report is designed to evaluate the online
shopping experience from a customer's point of view and provides insight as
to how the online retail industry has changed in the past year and how
leading retailers can gain a competitive advantage through experience-based
differentiation.
The report's key findings indicate that overall online shopping
experiences have improved since 2005. So many retailers are now adopting
industry-wide best practices for design and usability that they are now
challenged to truly differentiate themselves based on customer experience.
Some key trends that offer opportunities to create differentiation are:
creating a seamless experience across all channels and stages of the
shopping experience, enabling and encouraging customer participation to
offer new value to shoppers and innovating based on unmet customer needs.
Amazon.com was again selected as the best overall online retailer based
on their continued dedication to customer experience as demonstrated by
their introduction of social networking capabilities and other technology
innovations such as "tagging," customer blogs, discussion boards and more,
all of which enable user generated content and a stronger ability for
customers to engage and participate.
The biggest gain compared to last year's list was made by Buy.com who
bounced from the bottom of the list to fourth place this year. Buy.com's
gain was based on an improved overall customer experience and a willingness
to present a range of innovative features including RSS feeds, which allow
shoppers to stay more engaged and connected by subscribing to updates about
new products, sales and promotions.
"Online retail has changed dramatically in the past year, with many
more retailers putting more effort into offering a consistent experience
across all stages of customer interaction," said Idris Mootee, senior vice
president of strategy and innovation for Blast Radius. "Going forward,
experience-based differentiation will mark the new leaders in online
retailing, so more retailers will be seeking true cross-channel integration
and encouraging community participation and engagement to support online
purchases."
Many cross-channel retailers recognize and are striving to provide
consistent customer experiences, however the report finds that this is one
area that poses many complex logistical issues, particularly for those that
use rich media catalogs as marketing tools. Many of the major multi-channel
retailers post rich media catalogs online, but do not allow customers to
click through and purchase items online.
The Ten Best Online Shopping Experiences
- http://www.amazon.com
- http://www.walmart.com
- http://www.buy.com
- http://www.bestbuy.com
- http://www.tigerdirect.com
- http://www.macys.com
- http://www.newegg.com
- http://www.smartbargains.com
- http://www.overstock.com
- http://www.williams-sonoma.com
Blast Radius customer experience panel members devised the methodology
for the research report and it was supported by subsequent research
conducted by Informa Research Services Inc., a premier provider of market
research and mystery shopping services. The research went beyond the
websites themselves to evaluate the entire online shopping experience,
including fulfillment and returns and integration with other retail
channels.
The complete report is available at http://www.blastradius.com.
ABOUT INFORMA RESEARCH SERVICES, INC.
Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Calabasas, California, Informa
Research Services, Inc., is a marketing research firm providing both full
and field/tab services. We deliver quantitative and qualitative research
and are a leading provider of market research in the telecommunications,
B2B, industrial, high technology, financial, and consumer goods markets.
Business leaders around the world, and in all industries, rely on Informa
to gather feedback, opinions, and competitive information on a wide variety
of topics. Our offices are located in Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and
Atlanta.
ABOUT BLAST RADIUS
Blast Radius ( http://www.blastradius.com ) helps businesses deliver
innovative and profitable customer experiences by combining business
strategy, experience design, and industry-leading technologies, including
its on-demand Customer Experience Platform. With offices in the U.S.,
Canada and Europe, Blast Radius has formed relationships with companies
such as AOL, BMW, Electronic Arts, Heineken, Intrawest, Jenny Craig, Newell
Rubbermaid, Nike, Nintendo, OfficeMax, Philips, and Whirlpool.
http://www.blastradius.com/americashopping2006.pdf
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