Shoppers quick to ditch sites for poor service

Consumers who shop online are showing little patience for retailers that get things wrong, with the majority of shoppers drawing the line at a second chance for websites that make mistakes with an order.

Serious mistakes such as losing an order, dispatching the wrong items or delivering goods late are costing retailers high levels of customer churn, according to the findings of a silicon.com poll.

Shopping online is all about convenience, choice and service. Switching costs are incredibly low for customers as our competitors are really only a mouse click away.

-- Christian Robinson, MD, Firebox.com

A poll of around 600 online shoppers, conducted by silicon.com, found that the majority of consumers will be buying goods elsewhere after two bad experiences with a retailer.

Fourteen per cent of respondents said they would never give a retailer a second chance, while 44 per cent said being let down after giving the site a second chance was the most they would tolerate.

After three bad experiences 85 per cent of shoppers will be shopping elsewhere.

However, a shocking two per cent of shoppers said they would keep faith with a retailer even after more than three bad experiences.

Christian Robinson, MD at popular 'boys toys' website Firebox.com, told silicon.com companies must work at creating a loyal customer base, something his company achieves through a strong community approach to its users.

However, he maintains there is no substitute for getting it right first time.

Robinson said: "We're not surprised that customers expect extremely high standards when it comes to shopping online as they deserve to have their products sent to them on time, hassle free.

"Shopping online is all about convenience, choice and service. Switching costs are incredibly low for customers as our competitors are really only a mouse click away, unlike the high street where you could be the only specialist in a local area."