27/05/2010
By Scott Thompson
Clicks and mortar retailers continue to deliver a more consistent performance than their pureplay rivals, according to the latest eRetail Benchmark study from eDigitalResearch. Six of them dominate the study's top 10, which for the first time includes a review of retailers' mobile commerce platforms.
Now in its 11th year, the benchmark study, which uses a panel of mystery shoppers to evaluate 49 leading UK retail websites for usability and customer service performance, revealed that JD Sports was the top overall performer, delivering a consistently strong performance for both front and back end systems. The sports fashion retailer received particular praise for its product details, checkout process and on the strength of customer contact, including a helpful text messaging service detailing exact delivery times.
Other High Street outlets that scored highly across the board to earn a place in the top 10 include Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Next, House of Fraser and HMV. The pureplays to join them were Amazon, Figleaves and Woolworths, along with catalogue and online retailer Kays. The key underperforming area was email customer contact. Amazon, Ocado and Asos dominated the top three in terms of time taken to respond, with PC World trailing in 49th place.
"Yet again, our study illustrates that the resource and investment traditional brands put into customer contact and pays huge dividends in overall customer satisfaction," says Michelle Fuller, co-founder and director at eDigitalResearch. "When customers shop online, the very least they expect is a simple, straightforward and easy-to-use experience, from clear navigation to detailed product information, good customer service and accurate delivery information. The smart retailers are those who recognise that they need to exceed customer expectations and so sites such as JD Sports and M&S, who continually revise and improve site functionality, will always reign supreme with the consumer."
