Five Features Online Retailers Need this Holiday Season
It’s that time of year again. The time for online retailers to buff up their websites for the holiday shopping crowd. This year we did some research to find out what consumers are looking for when they hit the online stores. Out of 1,600 consumers surveyed, 65% said they’ve been shopping online for more than five years. That experience has led to some pretty sophisticated expectations, and increasingly, rich media features are figuring in to consumer loyalties online.
Here are five top features that the online shoppers in our survey ranked as extremely important or very important in the sites they visit.
Product images are clear and thorough – Listed by 94% of those who shop online more than once a month, and 84% of those who shop online only once a month- Site search is speedy and productive – Ranked as extremely or very important by 89% of all respondents
- Advanced product viewing functionality (360 degree viewing, see available colors as they would look on the product, zoom-in/out, etc) - Listed by 76% of those who shop online more than once a month, and 68% of those who shop online only once a month
- Ability to customize products online (ex. see apparel on someone my size) - 69% of respondents ranked as extremely or very important
- Written reviews from other users of the product – 68% of respondents ranked as extremely or very important.
While it’s well known that websites need to load quickly to keep visitors from moving on to other domains, there hasn’t been as much study of what consumers expect beyond speed. At this point, speed and performance should be a given. It’s the features on top that build customer loyalty.
Looking for more stats? Check out today’s press release for more details on the Limelight Networks research report.
