45 per cent of Australians will abandon an online purchase if there are website difficulties.
The latest research from Rackspace shows that out of 1,000 online consumers from Australia and New Zealand, 29 per cent have ditched an online purchase and gone back to bricks and mortar due to performance issues.
44 per cent believe that shopping in a traditional retail outlet is quicker if they know what they are looking for and 43 per cent preferred service in-store.
Those surveyed were also asked to pinpoint the most prominent issues faced when shopping online.
42 per cent said that there were too many pop-up advertisements, 34 per cent said that online service is not the same as in-store and 28 per cent said it was too time consuming to narrow down options available.
Some good news from the study revealed that there could be vast open market potential.
SLI Systems CIO Michael Grantham believes the time for retailers to hone in on gaps in the online sector is now.
“This survey shows that not enough retailers are leveraging powerful and available site search and navigation solutions that give consumers a rewarding shopping experience.”
Rackspace ANZ director and general manager Angus Dorney said that online retailers also need to hold onto the idea that in the game of retail, the customer is always right.
“People shop online due to the convenience it offers, but they are being driven away because they aren’t able to navigate through to purchase quickly and easily enough.
“Retailers should apply the same simple old-fashioned customer service values to their online site, as they would to the physical shop front.
“It should be inviting, easy to navigate and helpful.”
The survey revealed that 79 per cent of women and 67 per cent of men want the option of free returns or same day delivery.
In addition, 57 per cent of all shoppers want simpler checkout systems and 37 per cent believe that online shopping should be easier and more intuitive.