Brits spend an average of £1000 online a year but new research commissioned by cloud.IQ proves that 70% of Brits abandon their shopping carts online. In fact one in five people abandon online transactions because they are unable to speak to someone on the phone.
Retailers could make more of this opportunity by offering shoppers a free call back.
* 23% back out of a purchase as they were unable to speak to a retailer
* 7/10 UK shoppers abandon sites prior to a sale
* Women 7% more likely to abandon an online shop than men
* For items costing £50 or more, half of consumers say more likely to complete a sale if offered a call back – increases to 2/3 when polling digital natives
Despite internet shopping being more popular in the UK than any other major country1, it seems it’s still good to talk. New research2 shows that over one in five people abandon online transactions because they are unable to easily speak to someone on the phone.
The independent survey of 2,000 online shoppers, commissioned by cloud.IQ; shows that 23% of consumers backed out of a purchase as they were unable to speak to the retailer. Overall, seven in ten UK internet shoppers abandon sites prior to purchase, with women 7% more likely to abandon an online shop than men.
When it comes to bigger ticket items (valued at £50 plus), over half of online consumers (52%) say they are more likely to complete their purchase if the retailer offered to call them for free. Surprisingly, this number rises to two thirds for digital natives, who clearly still place an importance on direct contact with the retailer.
James Critchley, CEO of cloud.IQ, said, “With Britons spending on average £1,000 each year3 online, it’s crucial retailers make it as easy as possible for consumers to get in touch. People want to do business with people. The reality is that even when we’re buying stuff online – and particularly something that costs more than a few quid – we usually want to talk to someone as part of the transaction. It’s worrying that many retailers fail to offer this option.”
The Callback button
‘Callback’ buttons allow online retailers to place a button on their site that customers can hit when they want to speak to someone, maybe because they’re experiencing issues using a site or simply want to ask some questions. The Callback button then automates the Callback process – connecting an agent to the customer at no cost to the consumer. Crucially, it will do this immediately (or schedule for the next working day if the enquiry is out of hours) and will keep trying until a connection is made.
70% of people abandon online baskets prior to purchase | The Drum #JamesCritchley http://t.co/6hidH5zhQD via @newsle
— cloud-IQ (@cloudIQApps) July 2, 2013
Critchley continues, “With the use of a Callback button, the responsibility of contact falls back to the retailer. Agents can listen to customers’ needs and concerns and pitch accordingly. They ensure the customer receives a response quickly – before they get the chance to browse to a competitor site. By putting in that extra effort, retailers can expect to see less shopping carts abandoned and a real improvement in sales conversions.”
1 Ofcom’s International Communications Market Report in 2012
2 Survey conducted by One Poll in June 2013 of a national representative of 2,000 online shoppers.
3Ofcom’s International Communications Market Report in 2012
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