Online shoppers 'value retailer reputation more than price'

The ecommerce persuasion poll, carried out by user experience consultancy, Webcredible, revealed that almost one third (28 per cent) of online shoppers are most likely to be persuaded to make an online purchase by the reputation of the retailer, showing that security is still a major concern when it comes to online shopping.

The findings revealed that despite the current economic climate, price was only the second most likely factor to persuade consumers to make an online purchase with 26 per cent of the poll.

Many Internet users are very aware of the potential for online fraud and are more concerned that the site they are buying from is as safe as possible, and the key consideration here is the retailer's reputation.

In addition, respondents feel that reputable retailers will offer better customer care and returns policies.

The research polled more than 1,300 online users between April and June 2009 on what was most likely to persuade them to make a purchase from an online retailer.

After reputation of retailer and price, the look of the ecommerce website (16 per cent) and its ease of use (15 per cent) were identified as the next most likely factors to persuade respondents to make a purchase from an online retailer.

In addition, four per cent of respondents identified special offers as the factor most likely to persuade them to make an online purchase, three per cent chose delivery flexibility and two per cent picked appearance on search listings as the key factor. In contrast, five per cent of survey respondents said that none of these factors would persuade them to make an online purchase, largely because they would have done their research and known what they were going to buy and where from, before going online.

Mrudula Kodali, Senior Consultant at Webcredible said: "Price has always been a key driver in why people shop online rather than on the high street, but these results reveal that some respondents hold security in the highest regard, so much so that even in the current downturn, the reputation of an online retailer is more important than getting the best price.

"Given that so many online shoppers are affected by all these factors, persuasion needs to be a key focus for ecommerce sites. Retailers must ensure that their websites are well designed, easy to use and well-optimised for search and combine this with competitive pricing and a well-built reputation. Only then will they be able to really maximise revenues by making the most of these online shoppers that are open to persuasion."

The ecommerce persuasion research polled 1,382 visitors to the Webcredible website between April and June 2009.

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