Online retailers 'delaying site investment in favour of feedback'

18/08/2008

Retailers are delaying investment in their e-commerce website design because they want to gather more feedback from customers on what they would like to see on these sites.

This is one of the findings of a new study by RSR Research, which revealed that online retailers are keen to improve the shopping experience on their websites but are currently focusing on refining basic elements such as product information and availability.

The research also suggested that online retailers are approaching Web 2.0 and mobile platforms with caution, although those operating exclusively on the web were found to be the most innovative in the internet shopping sector.

"Online pure-plays are trying to differentiate themselves from multi-channel retailers by offering a larger product assortment and a differentiated customer experience in order to battle the cross-channel capabilities that they can't offer," commented Nikki Baird, RSR Research managing partner and report co-author.

A recent Hitwise report indicated that high street retailers in the UK are beginning to overtake the online-only retail sector in terms of web traffic.