Study: Smart shoppers push etailers to improve

Forget about online shoppers being ignorant to the ways of Web 2.0. According to a recent Shop.org study, today's online shoppers are also early technology adopters - and if merchant sites aren't up to date the shoppers may stay away.

by Kristina Knight

Forrester Research conducted the study which found that 53% of online shoppers are early technology adopters. Retailers surveyed for the study said that improving their site design and performance, improving the efficiency of their marketing campaigns and improving cross-channel integration were all hot-button issues for them.

Improving the content of websites is also a high priority with more than 85% of etailers saying there needs to be a content upgrade. Better content is the best way to organically improve search rankings. Improving content is also the best way to get consumers the information they most need when making purchasing decisions: What does the product do? What is the cost? What is the benefit of buying here?

Rather than sending out simple sale emails, merchants would be better served to send out promotional information about new products. Email messages that explain what the product is, in addition to pushing a sale for the item, is a good way to increase the ROI of email campaigns. About 71% of merchants said they used product emails.

For shoppers, these changes will make for a better online shopping experience. For marketers, providing users with the information they need about products will keep customers happy and returning visit after visit.