e retail benchmark study march april 2010 (pass 33)

Private & Confidential© eDigitalResearch 2010Issue 33

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eDigitalResearcheRetail Benchmark Study

Issue 33

March 2010 – April 2010

1


eMysteryShopper Background

eDigitalResearch has been undertaking „end to end‟ eMysteryShopper surveys on the top UK Internet retail sites since Christmas 2000

With our in-depth research we can benchmark and plot the development of retail websites over the last ten years

As a result we have an unprecedented level of knowledge, expertise and research data covering the development of some of the top UK internet retail sites

eMysteryShopper provides in-depth and structured study of website usability, functionality, supporting logistics and customer service through our unique panel of profiled UK Internet users. Working under strict Non Disclosure Agreements these profiled individuals are paid to complete „end to end‟ surveys on selected websites

We currently work with over 10,000 profiled UK eMysteryShoppers(surveyors) carrying out end to end usability studies on over 60 sites at any one time.

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eMysteryShopper „v‟ Lab usability

We believe that the „usability‟ of any live and currently functioning web site should be based on the opinions of as many profiled users as possible. Respondents should also be using their own equipment and internet connections mirroring as closely as possible the clients‟ own mix of user. This is opposed to deploying one-to-one interviews in „laboratory‟ conditions

This „end to end‟ usability technique provided by eMysteryShopper has the following advantages:-

Provides both qualitative and quantitative data that allows both pre and post site change analysis

Allows for quantitative benchmarking versus main competitors

Allows benchmarking versus „best in breed‟ in other areas of the internet

Allows users to complete feedback using their own familiar equipment

Users complete surveys when they want ; across all times of the day and week with little interference or influence from facilitators or fellow focus group members

Enables the surveyor to give feedback on the actual product delivery and associated customer service support

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This latest eRetail Benchmark study points to the following sites as leading the industry either across all or within specific customer touchpoints.

JD Sports

Placed 1st across all customer touchpoints. A consistently strong performance for both front end (online) and back end (delivery/customer contact) systems. Particularly strong on Product detail pages, checkout process and customer contact. It is this combined performance of an effective and engaging website combined with strong offline back end system to support customer contact

M&S

Another good all round performance across all sections, with very high scores on site search (keyword).

John Lewis

Consistently in the top quartile across all sections moving to the top 10 when customer contact was made.

Amazon

Whilst scoring lower on some areas, Amazon achieved high ratings on navigation, despite the extensive online range, boosted by the ability to pre filter a keyword search by department and easy to use filtering options. Once registered Amazon provided our surveyors with a smooth and quick checkout process and email support.

Asos

Would have been placed in the top 5 were it not for the inability for customers to telephone. Although asos has an industry leading response time (1 hour) on email queries, this mono-channel customer contact proposition does not appeal to all customers, who marked asos down for not being able to telephone an advisor.

Key Findings

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The latest eRetail Benchmark results highlight key areas of strength and weakness throughout the customer journey.

Across the sector, retail websites achieve their highest ratings for search and navigation, driven by effective site search (keyword) tools, clear navigation (Left hand and top tabs) and subsequent filtering/refining of results.

Top performers were M&S and HMV for site search and New Look and Figleaves for navigation. However, although overall this area performed well, there was still some variability across the websites surveyed, particularly for site (keyword) search. Key causes of frustration for our surveyors were irrelevant results returned from site search and the inability to filter/refine results returned or the filter options being different to what was needed.

The key underperforming area was email customer contact which was primarily driven by the speed of response, with an average of 29% of emails responded to within 12 hours.

There was also a very high degree of variability in the customer experience with some outstanding service but also examples of poor service. Our research indicates customer expectations are for a response to an email query (which actually addresses the query) within 12-24 hours.Moreover, the industry is moving fast with asos now promising a response within 1 business hour to all email queries – this will only serve to increase customer expectations and force the industry to address their strategies for this customer touchpoint.

Another area of mixed performance was for the product detail pages, which are the primary source of a customers purchasing decision. Industry leading sites were Figleaves, JD Sports and asos, who provide all the customer information required to make a purchase decision.

These sites delivered well on the basics of clear pricing and product benefits, but also provided alternative product images and relevant product recommendations. Asos now have a „view catwalk‟ video on the majority of their products giving the customer an alternative way of viewing the product on a real model.

Summary

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„Norms‟ - allowing quantifiable benchmarking

Definitions:

Excellent - Exceeds expectations - at least as good as the best sites - Special features that have surprised and delighted. 90%+ compares to top ecommerce sites.

Average – Just on par with other internet sites - Elements are okay - A reasonable experience but nothing special . Below 85% may also need attention.

Requires attention – mostly understood but not on par with the best – should be investigated and has issues that require review.

Poor - Not available or not useful and difficult to follow. Difficult to use. Slow and contains mistakes. Will be adversely affecting user experience.

Very Poor - Did not work or has serious errors. Requires urgent attention if available.

Scoring :

The percentage score is calculated by taking the score given by surveyors for each question and dividing by the total possible amount for each question.

Excellent Average RequiresAttention

Poor Very Poor

Benchmarking 4 3 2 1 0

Banding Score (approx)

90% or more 80%-89.9% 70%-79.9% 50%-69.9% Less than 50%

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eRetail Benchmark

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eMysteryShopper Methodology

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• An eMysteryShopper survey was conducted to compare the end to end usability of 49 leading UK retail web sites

• For each site, 20 surveys were completed. Of these, 10 surveyors completed purchases, and 5 surveyors completed refunds.

• The survey looks in detail at the following site sections:

• First Impressions (Homepage)• Browse• Search – Navigation and Keyword• Items Found (Product Pages)• Shopping Basket• Purchase• Registration / Login• Delivery• Returns / Refunds• Customer Service Contact (Telephone)• Customer Service Contact (Email)

• Collection was carried out using the eMysteryShopper Panel of internet users in March and April 2010

• Percentage scores refer to weighted average, where if all surveyors gave the top score the result would be 100%

Brand Loyalty

First Impressions/Homepage

Navigation (Browse and

Search)

Product Pages

Shopping Basket & Purchase

Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

eRetail Benchmark


49 retail websites benchmarked

9

http://www.ebookers.com/

http://www.ebookers.com/


Overall Performance

Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

The end to end

customer journey

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Customer satisfaction across the customer journey

Homepage

Search (Keyword)

Search (Navigation) Product pages

Shopping Basket Purchase Delivery

Telephone Customer Services

Email Customer Services

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Best and worst practice across the customer journey

*NB: No email contact available for Play, BHS and Asda Direct. No telephone contact available for asos. No keyword search for „onestop‟phoneshop These websites were given a score of zero.

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13

Overall score: End to end process

JD Sports achieve 1st place overall.

The high score has been mainly driven by good online performance (best in class product pages) as well as excellence for offline aspects - delivery and customer services.


First Impressions(Homepage)

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Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

What are customers‟ first impressions of the site when they land on the homepage?

Is the website proposition clear?

Do they want to continue to browse and shop?


First Impressions (Homepage)

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The promotional advertisements clearly

stand out

Bright homepage with easy navigational

options“The home page is well

organised and easy to navigate. The advertisement for the 70% off blue cross sale clearly stands out and encourages me to look

further” - Debenhams

“The home page is very bright and easy to navigate, it shows all

the current offers and promotions” - Debenhams

Clear and logical layout

“The home page is clearly laid out and it was easy to find the area of interest”- Debenhams


Search & Browse

16

Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Is it clear how to navigate the site?

Does the keyword search produce accurate and relevant results?

What is the scope of the search? Can you filter results?


Search (via Keyword)

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Easy to locate and notice search box

“The keyword search was very accurate and had many options

to refine it. It was fast and corrected spelling errors” – M&S

Intuitive, fast and accurate keyword

search facility

“The search button was easy to locate and use. I found all the

searches quickly and accurately”–M&S


Search (Navigation)

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Logical and easy to use Top navigation buttons

“The navigation buttons at the top are very clear and easy to understand and use” – Argos

Left hand navigation filters facilitate researching process

“Navigation around the site is really simple. I love the was you can filter the products by department and price and that it shows you how many are in

each filter selection” – Argos


Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Product Pages

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Is there enough information to buy from the page?

Is product information clear and detailed?

Are there alternative images of the product? Can you see detail?


20

Product Pages (Items Found)

Good quality photos depicting product from

different angles

Clearly displayed prices

Zooming facility enable to view products in

greater detail

“The item pages were perfect. You were offered several photos of the item, as well as a good description. The ability to zoom in on the photos meant you could see the photos in greater detail”

– Figleaves


Shopping Basket

21

Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Is it clear what items are in your basket? Are you shown an image / description?

Are delivery options and timescales shown?

Are you confident this is a secure site?

Is it easy to add / remove items from your basket or continue shopping if you wish?


22

Shopping Basket

Clearly displayed product pictures

Full list of available delivery methods and charges

Clearly displayed security logos and payment methods

“The shopping basket was excellent - I liked that there are pictures in there of the products and that you can select your delivery type and it tells you the cost and the length of time it

will take” – New Look

“The shopping basket clearly shows the items in the basket - description and photo” – New

Look


Purchase

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Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Are instructions through checkout clear and straightforward?

Is the payment made in a secure environment?

Do you receive an order confirmation online and/or via email?


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Purchase

Easy and straightforward checkout process

All content and information is transparent, allowing for

smooth transaction

“An absolutely faultless and completely easy to follow ordering process. Everything is well detailed and simply explained” – Amazon

“The order process is very straightforward, with clear and user-friendly instructions. There was a good choice of delivery options. I received a confirmation immediately, which was well laid out, with clear purchase

information and return policy clearly explained” – Amazon


Delivery

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Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Did the item arrive within the specified timescale?

Were the item(s) in good condition?

Was inner and outer packaging suitable?

Was all relevant delivery documentation and information included?


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Delivery experience

Helpful text message informing customers about the delivery time

“The 2 texts were very useful to confirm/change delivery, plus it was good to receive info on actual

delivery time” – JD Sports

“The delivery service is one of the best I have experienced. Order was in

excellent condition” - asos


27

Delivery timescale

Percentage of deliveries that were made on time or early:

Average deliveries made on time/early:

89%

“The order was received on time and in excellent condition. It was well

packaged. The delivery note was clear and accompanied by clear returns

information” - asos

“The order arrived very promptly. It was well packaged and the goods were

presented very well. The documentation was clear and easy to

understand” – Ann Summers

“The order arrived in 2 days, well inside the delivery timescale. It was well

packaged and in excellent condition. Delivery documentation was clear and

helpful.” – M&S

Vast majority of online retailers benefit from punctual delivery times


Customer Service Contact Telephone

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Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Was it easy to find relevant contact information and get through to customer services?

Was the advisor polite, helpful and professional?

Were they able to answer your query fully?


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Customer Service Contact - Telephone

Prompt and quick response to telephone query

Friendly, polite and knowledgeable customer service advisor

“My call was answered promptly and I was happy with the response given.

The call taker was able to answer query without having to put me on hold to

consult with another”– New Look

asos were given a score of 0 (zero) for having no email contact facility


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Telephone (time taken to answer)

“I was very impressed with the service. My call was answered by a live operator immediately, who

listened to my query and responded in a friendly, courteous and efficient manner. She answered my query confidently and made me feel that she was

happy to help” - Waitrose“A very polite and helpful advisor answered my call, which assured me that in an event of dissatisfaction I could easily turn to their

telephone service and would not be let down” -Waitrose

Polite and friendly customer service advisors who take an ownership of any raised issue


Customer Service Contact email

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Brand Loyalty



Search)

Product Pages


Delivery

Customer Contact

(Telephone/email)

Returns/

Refunds

Did you get a satisfactory response to your email enquiry?

How long did it take to receive a response?


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Customer Service Contact - email

Surveyors were impressed with the quality and speed of an email response

“I was very impressed with how quickly me email enquiry was responded to. The reply

was friendly and very helpful” - Ocado

“I received an automated e-mail acknowledging receipt of my message. I got a full response

within an hour. This was very well written and addressed my query. The staff member

demonstrated good knowledge and offered further ways to contact the company if

required”- Ocado

BHS, Play and Asda were given a score of 0 (zero) for having no email contact facility


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email – time taken to respond

Speed of email response is vital for maintaining high levels of

customer satisfaction

“I received a very prompt reply, which answered my query fully and was well

written and courteous. My experience was therefore extremely positive and it

would encourage me to use this site again..” - Amazon


Results and summary

34


This latest eRetailBenchmark study points to the following sites as leading the industry either across all or within specific customer touchpoints.

JD Sports

Placed 1st across all customer touchpoints. A consistently strong performance for both front end (online) and back end (delivery/customer contact) systems. Particularly strong on Product detail pages, checkout process and customer contact. It is this combined performance of an effective and engaging website combined with strong offline back end system to support customer contact

M&S

Another good all round performance across all sections, with very high scores on site search (keyword).

John Lewis

Consistently in the top quartile across all sections moving to the top 10 when customer contact was made.

Amazon

Whilst scoring lower on some areas, Amazon achieved high ratings on navigation, despite the extensive online range, boosted by the ability to pre filter a keyword search by department and easy to use filtering options. Once registered Amazon provided our surveyors with a smooth and quick checkout process and email support.

Asos

Would have been placed in the top 5 were it not for the inability for customers to telephone. Although asos has an industry leading response time (1 hour) on email queries, this mono-channel customer contact proposition does not appeal to all customers, who marked asos down for not being able to telephone an advisor.

Summary

35


The latest eRetailBenchmark results highlight key areas of strength and weakness throughout the customer journey.

Across the sector, retail websites achieve their highest ratings for search and navigation, driven by effective site search (keyword) tools, clear navigation (Left hand and top tabs) and subsequent filtering/refining of results.

Top performers were M&S and HMV for site search and New Look and Figleaves for navigation. However, although overall this area performed well, there was still some variability across the websites surveyed, particularly for site (keyword) search. Key causes of frustration for our surveyors were irrelevant results returned from site search and the inability to filter/refine results returned or the filter options being different to what was needed.

The key underperforming area was email customer contact which was primarily driven by the speed of response, with on average on 29% of emails responded to within 12 hours.

There was also a very high degree of variability in the customer experience with some outstanding service but also examples of poor service. Our research indicates customer expectations are for a response to an email query (which actually addresses the query) within 12-24 hours.Moreover, the industry is moving fast with asos now promising a response within 1 business hour to all email queries – this will only serve to increase customer expectations and force the industry to address their strategies for this customer touchpoint.

Another area of mixed performance was for the product detail pages, which are the primary source of a customers purchasing decision. Industry leading sites were Figleaves, JD Sports and asos, who provide all the customer information required to make a purchase decision.

These sites delivered well on the basics of clear pricing and product benefits, but also provided alternative product images and relevant product recommendations. Asos now have a „view catwalk‟ video on the majority of their products giving the customer an alternative way of viewing the product on a real model.

Summary

36


eDigitalResearch – Mobile enabled Sites

With some websites now launching a version of their site

design specifically for mobiles.

This development is a major boost for customers who will

now be able to search, browse and shop their favourite

sites whilst on the move.

eDigitalResearch have begun evaluating each of the

websites within eRetailBenchmark using at least ONE

survey being completed based on viewing the site from an

i-Phone.

Although this is small scale, initial results indicated a high

degree of variability for the customer experience, even

when only browsing the site.

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Comparing the eDigitalResearch Benchmark studies

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(15 websites surveyed) (12 websites surveyed)(49 websites surveyed)(45 websites surveyed)

eDigitalResearch Benchmark comparison

Industry Comparison High, Low & Average scores

39


Information on eDigitalResearch

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eDigitalResearch – Who are we and what do we do

• own system

• outstanding technical support

• team of research professionals (MRS/ESOMAR)

We are one of the leading providers of

digital market research

• reducing costs

• faster results

• improving accuracy

We are migrating traditional market research to digital

methodologies

• social networking (digital communities)

• automated intelligent qualitative analysis

• industry norms/benchmarking

We are developing and introducing innovative

research solutions

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• „Closed group‟ research• Usability &

„end to end‟ experience• Focus groups

eMysteryShopper

• „Open‟ user research• Visitor/user opinion

• Key performance indicators• Brand advocacy

eDigitalSurvey

• Omnibus research • Client panel management

• Media panels

ePanelManager

• Web 2.0• 3 way dialogue from

profiled users• Product ratings

• Net chats

eDigitalCommunities

• Automated qual-to-quant text analysis

• Full reporting of verbatim comments across any digital

medium

eBuzzBox eDigitalHR

• Staff surveys• 360 degree staff feedback• Employee communities to

improve engagement

Product overview

42


Contact details

www.eDigitalResearch.com

Berrywood Business VillageTollbar WayHedge End

SouthamptonSO30 2UN

Tel: +44 1489 772920Email: [email protected]

Director: Michelle Fuller ([email protected])Associate Director: Steve Brockway ([email protected])

Research Analyst: Naomi Greene ([email protected] )

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http://www.edigitalresearch.com/

mailto:[email protected]




e retail benchmark study march april 2010 (pass 33)

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