Online shoppers are happiest with Kalahari.com, a new survey has found. Research and consulting firm Columinate says Kalahari emerged as the clear winner in the survey, five points ahead of second-placed Yuppiechef and 13 points ahead of third-placed Woolworths.
The survey ranked online retailers on their overall satisfaction levels to determine which deliver the best customer experiences, with the score determined by calculating the number of highly satisfied users versus the percentage of highly dissatisfied users.
“We measured each site on a number of key drivers, including ease of use, information, trust in security, value for money, the range of products, and delivery performance,” says Columinate CEO Henk Pretorius.
The company surveyed just over 2 000 online users, just under half of whom said they regular purchasers who made a purchase at least once a month. The survey was conducted at the end of June. Purchasers and visitors views are both reflected in the scores.
Takealot.com took fourth place in the survey with 55 points, with Groupon coming in in fifth place, one point behind.
The report also identified the best players in each of six identified categories.
In the electronics category, all companies scored poorly. The average survey-wide score was 40 points, while the winner in electronics, Dion Wired, scored only 17. Hi Fi Corp was second, with just 14 points.
Mr Price emerged as the winner in the clothing category with 46 points, with Zando a very close second, also on 46 points.
In the “other” category, where the average score was 33, Exclusive Books emerged as the winner with 40 points.
Groupon came first in the discount stores category with 54 points, well ahead of the category average of 38.
Yuppiechef emerged as the winner in the retail/food category with 71 points, while the generalist e-retailers category was secured by Kalahari with a healthy 76 points.
Woolworths was the top-performing traditional retailer online, far ahead of other retailers that operate mainly in the physical space. Native online retailers have a significant advantage, says Pretorius. This is because, in part, they focus better on site usability and offer shoppers more payment options, he says.
When shoppers were asked why they like shopping online, most said they liked the convenience and the ability to save time and money. However, 64% of online purchases were in the “want” rather than “need” category. Only 36% of purchases were for “essential” goods such as groceries, clothes and health products.
“People believe they purchase online to save time and money, but with purchases being skewed towards nonessential items, the report indicates that ‘saving’ isn’t necessarily the main driver,” says Pretorius.
“Online retailers should focus on promoting the time and money that people can truly save by purchasing essential items online. For example, buying a DVD online may save a few minutes in a mall, but buying the week’s groceries online could save an hour or more.” — © 2014 NewsCentral Media
