This
has to be the question going through online retailers the majority of the time.
There
is no doubt that the world of e-commerce is an ever-changing one. From its
infancy in the 1990’s we’ve seen faster internet connections, increased
accessibility, the rise of mobile devices and the popularity of social media
challenge retailers to constantly adapt.
One
thing that does seem to have remained constant is making it as easy as possible
for shoppers to pay – how and when they like.
Online
payment gateway WorldPay, recently published an independent research report
titled ‘Are you giving your customers what they really, really
want?’
The global research project
explored the attitudes of 19,000 consumers towards online shopping. Respondents
were grouped into three categories based on their spend online over a 12 month
period: heavy spenders (spent more than 30% of disposable income), medium
spenders (spent between 10% and 30% of disposable income) and light spenders
(less than 10% of disposable income).
The research found that
while secure payment and
data protection are key drivers across all three groups, there were other
factors which motivated consumers to spend more online depending on which
category they fell into:
Light
spenders were driven by factors such as accurate delivery dates and offers
customised for them. Not surprisingly, heavy users, and to some extent medium
users have a higher expectation when it comes to the online shopping
experience. They are motivated by added value services from retailers such as integration
across multiple sales channels and online chat assistance.
It
is also interesting to read within the report what causes each of these
different categories to abandon their shopping basket and drop out of the
payment process. Unexpected costs are identified as a major problem across all
there groups. They are more likely to put off light spenders and medium
spenders (62% and 57% respectively) than heavy spenders (49%), however while
heavy spenders are slightly more tolerant of additional costs, they are more
likely to abandon their purchase because of excessive security checks.
As
online retail has become more sophisticated and consumers more savvy,
maximising spend and minimising shopping basket abandonment is now more than just
a ‘one-size fits all’ approach.
Understanding,
segmenting and accurately targeting your customers with the service and online
experience they want will bring huge rewards.
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