Internet retail scored the highest at every stage of the customer engagement cycle, and utilities the lowest, according to a survey by eGain. More of the 3,000 European consumers surveyed rated their experiences with e-tailers as ‘excellent’ (a score of 5/5) than any other industry.

The sector was rated as excellent in ‘first interaction’ (21 per cent), ‘follow-up approach’ (16 per cent), and ‘meeting expectations and engendering loyalty’ (19 per cent).

The most cited causes for abandoning a purchase are: unclear or confusing expectation of service (26 per cent), payment and sign up processes too lengthy or complicated (21 per cent), negative social references (20 per cent).

In the UK, negative social reviews and ratings were the biggest influence on shopping basket abandonments (30 per cent).

When asked to rate positive influences on completing a purchase or transaction, a fast response to an email (41 per cent) and a good website FAQ (38 per cent) came top. Neck and neck were social recommendations and a telephone call with the business (22 per cent and 24 per cent respectively) rated as ‘very influential’ or ‘influential’.

In the 18-to-34 year age group, social influence was even higher at 29 per cent.

When seeking help, two in five consumers will begin a service interaction with phone or email, while one in five will choose to help themselves via web self-service. Email (48 per cent) and phone (32 per cent) are still the go-to channels, when it comes to complaints.

However, a significant proportion of consumers (17 per cent) would use web chat or social media to complain.

Andrew Mennie, general manager, eGain EMEA said, “The power of consumer opinion, expressed via social media, is now too significant to ignore. Not only are social reviews highly influential at the start of the customer experience, but social channels are also an increasingly important part of the customer interaction mix as that journey progresses. Add to this consumers’ tendency to channel-hop, and a unified approach to multi-channel service becomes key to providing the consistent and context-aware experiences that today’s consumers demand.”

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