Online shopping satisfaction rates dropped 14% between July 1998 and just after the past holiday shopping season, according to survey results released yesterday by New York-based Jupiter Communications.
Seventy-four percent of respondents indicated that they were satisfied with their online shopping experiences, down from 88% during an identical survey conducted by Jupiter and NFO Interactive in July 1998. Problems cited in the holiday season survey include merchandise availability (15%); the additional costs of shipping and handling (14%); and slow Web site performance (13%) as the top three reasons for their discontent.
Unprecedented–and unforeseen–growth in the volume of orders led to retailers being ill-equipped to fulfill promises made, and consumers, who are increasingly technically savvy, are less sympathetic to “system failure” shortcomings. Only 37% said they would spend more on online shopping next holiday season, while 58% said they would spend the same and 5% said they would spend less.
The study surveyed 2,300 online households.
