Online retailers are losing out on additional revenue by not utilising simple methods to capture sales from potential customers, new research has revealed.

A survey of 1,213 UK adults carried out by digital agency Marketing Signals showed that more than half (58 per cent) of e-commerce businesses are putting off potential customers by making simple errors.

The primary problem was found to be insufficient or poor quality product imagery (61 per cent), closely followed by inadequate product descriptions (57 per cent).

The research also found that more than half (52 per cent) of these businesses are failing potential customers with their lack of customer service, while 47 per cent have overly intrusive discount pop-ups on the home page, which can put users off making a purchase.

A further 43 per cent of UK adults would be put off by websites that have an overcomplicated checkout process, while 41 per cent would be deterred by an e-commerce business which has little or no social media presence.

A third of those questioned said that a lack of delivery options would deter them from making an online purchase, whilst a website that wasn’t optimised for mobile devices would put off 27 per cent of respondents.

Of those surveyed, 16 per cent said they would be put off from making a purchase if they could not see company information or an ‘about us’ page. Finally, 11 per cent said that they would make their purchase elsewhere if a website did not accept PayPal or Apple Pay.

Gareth Hoyle, managing director at Marketing Signals, commented: “It’s clear from the research that many potential customers are being put off from making a purchase from websites they are not familiar with, which makes it so much more important for e-commerce businesses to make the checkout process as simple as possible in order for them to complete their transaction smoothly.

“Internet-savvy consumers are always keen to spot a bargain, though can be put off by over complicated or seemingly untrustworthy websites when attempting to make a purchase, instead opting to buy from a site they already know and trust,” he added.

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