When it comes to online shopping, it seems that consumers are doing it more but enjoying it less.
According to the 2018 Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Study, 30 percent of Americans make an online purchase at least weekly, up from 19 percent a year ago. However, 56 percent of these shoppers expressed dissatisfaction with their online shopping experience, up from 36 percent a year ago. The study also tracked trends across nine other countries ”“ Canada, Mexico, the U.K., France, Germany, India, China, Japan and Australia ”“ and found shoppers in those markets were also increasing their online buying and not enjoying the process.
What went wrong? Pitney Bowes concluded that consumers were unhappy with their post-purchase experiences, including expensive shipping costs, tracking inaccuracies, late deliveries, confusing returns policies and lost or incorrect items.
“Individual consumers are spending more time shopping online and waiting on products, creating a greater probability for a bad experience,” said Lila Snyder, president of commerce services at Stamford-based Pitney Bowes. “As volumes rise, retailers are struggling to keep up with the demand in terms of physical infrastructure and the technology to manage it effectively.”
