Abandonment Issues

Just over half of all Web-using consumers report abandoning their shopping carts on sites where they'd intended to make a purchase.

If that's not enough, consider this: Sixty-three percent abandoned their carts after beginning the checkout process. And when shoppers have frustrating experiences, 82% are less likely to return to the site, according to a study by Allurent, an online consultancy in Cambridge, MA.

The report noted, however, that if the retailer has a brick-and-mortar store the Web shopper's annoyance doesn't necessarily carry over to that channel. Only 28% said an unpleasant online experience would make them less likely to buy at the same marketer's traditional store.

Shopping in a store has advantages over the online experience. Asked why they chose to shop at a brick-and-mortar location, 54% said it allowed them to better understand the products they were purchasing. Just under half (48%) said sometimes they just felt like buying “something,” and were more inspired in a store. Forty percent liked knowing that if they had questions, someone was available to offer answers, and 24% found it easier to compare and research products in a store than online.

Allurent polled 775 respondents by e-mail in January, asking how online shopping affected their perception of retailers and other marketers.