How to Use the Olympic Games to Boost Sales in Your Online Shop
The Olympic Games are a good opportunity to increase sales. However, using the event in marketing requires some creativity. How do you do it?
Almost half of consumers (47%) have already had a negative online shopping experience. That’s what Trusted Shops revealed in a survey published in January 2013.
20% of the respondents have designated late delivery as the main issue. The survey also revealed that 50% would be willing to pay for extra services such as a money-back guarantee or postal insurance.
Service levels need to improve
Jean-Marc Noël, co-founder and managing director of Trusted Shops, stated: “Online shopping has become standard. Whether it's on a mobile device or a home PC, shoppers want to buy online. However, it's very clear from these statistics that our industry still has some work to do.”
The Managing Director of Europe's leader in online accreditation also added, “Having nearly half our market report negative experiences clearly tells us that service levels need to improve in an increasingly competitive industry. Shops need to differentiate themselves by communicating to shoppers that they can be trusted, and then crucially back that up with excellent customer service.”
Understanding customers
Shutterstock.com/Robert Kneschke
The research, conducted by TNS Emnid, surveyed 1,024 people in the UK and found that wealthier households were significantly more likely to report a negative experience, but they were also more likely to pay for extra services.
Households with an average income of more than £39,150 were 15% more likely to report having a negative experience than those households with an income of up to £17,399.
24-hour delivery was the most popular extra service, and a third (32%) of respondents said they were willing to pay extra for it.
While there were many variations in habits between age groups and between different household incomes, men and women reported nearly exactly the same preferences and experiences when shopping online.
Jean-Marc Noël explained: “This research shows that there can be a great difference in expectations between socioeconomic groups, but interestingly, not between genders. Retailers need to understand their customers so they can deliver a tailored service that will meet the expectations of shoppers. Only this will ensure that consumers keep coming back for more.”
