Netimperative
Netimperative
  • Home
  • Ads
  • Content
  • Mobile
  • E-commerce
  • Social
  • Regulation
  • Video
  • Viral
Menu
  • Apple
  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • YouTube

“Ghosting” customers costs retailers repeat sales

January 24, 2018

UK consumers are 4 times less likely to repeat-purchase from retailers who ‘ghost’ them after a sale, according to new research.

Narvar and YouGov have conducted a survey of nearly 3000 UK consumers to uncover their biggest bugbears when shopping online. Being “ghosted” – or when consumers feel abandoned by a retailer following a purchase – is one of the main reasons why consumers would switch retailers after buying from them.

The study shows that retailers are failing to secure customer loyalty and retain existing buyers when they neglect to provide them with timely, accurate and personal communications following a purchase.

Key findings:

• Consumers are 4 times less likely to repeat-purchase from retailers who ‘go dark’ on them after a sale
• A quarter of millennials surveyed (aged up to 24) are most likely to be irritated by the lack of communication from a retailer
• 65% of consumers will not buy from a retailer again if they received poor communication – especially about bad news such as late deliveries
• It can cost retailers 5 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one – severely impacting retailer’s post-purchase customer strategy

Important communications include: fast and direct communications about their orders, accurately predicting delivery date, and being told any bad news – such as delays – straight away. These kinds of interactions were even more important to consumers than, for example, not having an option for home delivery, click and collect, or in-store returns. As it costs at least 5 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, these findings have significant implications for retailer’s post-purchase customer strategy.

Consumer bugbears

Consumers don’t like to be left in the dark: not getting clear or accurate information about the status of an order is the number one consumer bugbear when shopping online, with a fifth of respondents choosing this as their top annoyance.

• Millennials aged up to 24 are the group most likely to be irritated by a lack of communications in this way (25%).
• Poor communications from the retailer, like failure to communicate proactively around bad news like a late delivery, would put off 65% of consumers from buying with that retailer again
• A third would not use a retailer again if they failed to give any follow-up after a purchase, such as accurate order tracking or how-to guides.
• Having a bad delivery experience was another key reason why customers would switch retailers, showing the importance of the experience beyond the buy button in customer perception.

What the consumer wants

Managing expectations is important. Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding about being kept in the loop by retailers: 61% said they want fast and direct communications following a purchase, even if it’s about bad news, with this being most important to millennials and the over 55s.

One in ten consumers wanted to see follow up-content such as examples of how others are using the products, suggestions for how to make best use of items, and personalised recommendations to really secure their loyalty. 1 in 5 would love just a simple “thank you”!

Amit Sharma, CEO, Narvar, comments: “These findings really highlight that the eCommerce journey does not just stop when a customer clicks the buy button. Retailers who fail to appreciate the importance of the post-purchase experience are missing out on really developing a loyal customer base and the financial benefits that go along with that.”

Additional information about the research:

2957 UK consumers from 21-65 who made a purchase online in the last 6 months were surveyed independently by YouGov. Of these, one quarter (24%) shopped online at least a few times a week.

Source: www.narvar.com

E-commerce content, ecommerce, UK

Archives

Tags

advertising agencies Amazon analytics Android Apple apps Australia BBC brands Brazil broadband China Christmas comScore content digital marketing ecommerce email Entertainment Europe Facebook France games Germany global Google government images infographic local marketing media Microsoft music Privacy retail Search security smartphones technology Twitter UK video YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Top six Valentine’s Day ads for 2022
  • 2021 Halloween: digital marketing campaigns we loved this year
  • Empowering employees; the critical link between EX and CX
  • Investing in in-app social features is a must in a world that is crying out to be connected
  • QR codes, Gen Z and the future of OOH

Copyright © 2025 Netimperative.

Magazine WordPress Theme by themehall.com

We use cookies to improve the website and your experience. We’ll assume you’re okay with this, but you’re welcome to opt-out
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT