photo by gualtiero
During Q1 2012, a commissioned survey of more than 500 consumers in the U.S., across varied income levels and ages, with an equal distribution of genders found that over 80 percent of the responders were more likely to become loyal customers to companies who provide an integrated multichannel experience and web store.
According to the survey, U.S. consumers are shopping a variety of channels and devices, often simultaneously, as new technology is introduced. Shoppers now routinely expect that their favorite companies will be accessible to them anytime, anywhere, via any channel.
The study examined consumer shopping behavior and preferences across a variety of channels, devices and product categories to identify the key features that shoppers look for in a multi-channel shopping experience. When asked to rank desired features in a multichannel retail experience:
• Almost half (45%) of respondents indicated that in-store pickup options for online purchases were most important.
• Nearly a third (28%) of consumers selected in-store returns for online purchases as most valuable.
• Eighty-two percent of respondents would shop again at a retailer who accepted in-store returns for online purchases
• Seventy-three percent were more likely to become a repeat customer if a store offered in-store pickup.
• Only a third of these consumers believed that retailers were currently offering both in-store pickup and returns for online purchases.
The study also identified specific factors that would potentially impact the likelihood of a consumer following through with a purchase online.
The most important factors for following through with an online purchase:
• Easy navigation (59%)
• Simple checkout process (57%)
• Presence of product images (42%)
The most important factors that might deter an online purchase were:
• Shipping costs (47%)
• Out of stock items (28%)
• Lack of product images (23%)
Learn how nChannel’s cloud-based management portal enables distributors and retailers to easily and cost effectively manages multi-channel sales and supply chain processes.
By connecting the existing Microsoft Dynamics GP, RMS and eBay web store systems to nChannel, subscribers can easily syndicate item data, deploy drop ship programs, track and manage inventory, and view customer activity across all channels, from any web browser. In just minutes, customers can begin to sync and manage multi-channel data from multiple systems, connect suppliers or customers and begin trading electronically.
Watch this short video to find out more. Contact us today at 1-800-406-8217 for a demo. Find out how you can get an integrated web store in days, not months. Contact info@nchannel.com or visit www.nchannel.com to chat live.
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