7 aspects that annoy customers about eCommerce

Let’s face it, eCommerce has proven to be anything but what it promised to be. 

What happened to convenience, speed, and flexibility?  Instead we are presented with an uninspiring experience that is everything else but customer friendly. 

A staggering 12 to 24 million eCommerce sites and 2.14 billion global online shoppers and the shopping experience is still subpar? It’s about time we change this. 

Here are 7 aspects that annoy shoppers about eCommerce: 

1. The online customer journey of today is not designed for us humans

The route of all issues comes down to the disconnect between the desired human interactions and the automated online shopping experience. Nowadays all aspects of eCommerce are driven by AI. While it does simplify numerous aspects of everyday life, AI will never be able to replace valuable personal engagements.

To name an example, algorithmic recommendations. While algorithmic purchases are designed to motivate you to purchase more, individualized recommendations formulated by in-house experts intend to inspire the right purchases. To succeed in the eCommerce world it's more important than ever to get the product-customer fit right.

2. Customers are faced with an ever-increasing number of options when it comes to where and what to buy

Common knowledge, the more options there are, the harder it is to choose. Yet on Amazon and Amazon Marketplace alone there are more than 350 million products to select from. 

Contradictory to common beliefs, research, however, shows that providing customers with endless options is detrimental to choice. Above all consumers desire guidance to simplify and reduce the overwhelming size of assortments. 

3. Customers waste endless time on research and decision-making

Data suggests that 81% of customers spend a startling 79 days gathering information before making a large purchase. The customer no longer only chooses what to buy, nowadays they also have to decide where to get their information from. 

Information overload effectively creates confusion and reduces the customers ability to make timely decisions. Consequently, instead of simplifying and speeding up purchasing decisions, eCommerce sites and online environments essentially make the customer journey more difficult for users. 

4. Product descriptions are confusing and misleading

Low quality product descriptions can evoke multiple effects among customers. Most notably it significantly decreases customer satisfaction when seeking product-related information, but also disappointment when the item arrives and does not meet the description. 

Besides, if product descriptions fail to resonate with users, this will make it increasingly difficult for customers to identify with brands and connect with companies. Should language, tone, format and imagery not live up to customers expectations, the customer's trust could be severely harmed. 

5. The navigation labyrinth

We all know the helpless feeling of walking into a new grocery store lacking any and all orientation. As the shopping spree continues, visual cues may guide us to the right aisle, or we sum up all our courage and ask a store clerk for the right directions. 

Now imagine navigating the maze of eCommerce platforms. Superficial categorizations, rudimentary search functions and no sign of any assistance to hint you towards the right direction. 

The average user spends 10-20 seconds on a webpage. If the customer has not found their desired product or information in this time span, this translates into a lost sales opportunity. 

6. It’s impossible to separate real from fake reviews

According to the American Marketing Association a whopping 33% of online reviews are fake. How is anyone supposed to trust anything in this bogus world?

Nevertheless customers rely largely on the praise and critique claimed in review sections. In fact 83% of customers admit reviews are influential on their purchases. 

Given the shocking amount of fake reviews, customers are constantly making ill-informed decisions. eCommerce plainly lacks the honesty and truthfulness of an in-store sales assistant that has the customers best interest at heart. 

7. The answers to all issues lead to FAQs, chatbots, email or phone numbers, no help in sight

Another common irritable aspect is the customer service sections of eCommerce platforms. Beginning with FAQ sections and chatbots that never offer the right answer to questions, ending with email addresses and phone numbers that lead to nowhere. 

The sad truth is that FAQs never really reflect the commonly asked questions of customers, for the simple reason that they are most likely set up by an individual from the marketing department making assumptions about customer inquiries. Similar to FAQs, chatbots fail to meet the needs of customers 70% of the time. 

The same applies to call centers and emails. Considering the cost-reducing initiatives of the majority of companies in customer service, cll centers are doomed to fail. Customer service has essentially become more about complaint management than sales enablement. From outsourcing, limited product knowledge to outdated technology, the prospects of receiving a solid answer as a customer are very mere. Similarly, a frustrating 62% of companies refuse to answer customer service emails altogether, providing a false hope of support and wasting the customer’s time. 

What do we take away from this?

It’s now become clear that eCommerce was not designed for customers nor with customers. In order to make eCommerce user-friendly key aspects surrounding human interactions, support when seeking information and making decisions and instill trust touchpoints between experts and customers have to be initiated.

To discover how AMAZD solves many of today’s eCommerce challenges and how it can play a key role in the success of your customer experience strategy, get a free AMAZD demo today.