Consumers Want More From Retail During Holidays

This holiday season, consumers are boosting their expectations when it comes to their eCommerce retail.

Cloud-based operations solution provider Voxware released consumer survey data that points to the increased standards consumers are holding online retailers to during the 2016 holiday shopping season.

An overwhelming majority (84 percent) of the 500 consumers surveyed for the study said that their expectations are higher this year for online retailers than they have been in previous years.

The research also stated that 78 percent of consumers have higher expectations for on-time and accurate delivery during the holidays versus other times of the year.

“Although few U.S. retailers promise delivery within two days of an order being placed, there is clearly an increased expectation for speed and accuracy,” Keith Phillips, president and CEO of Voxware, said in a statement. “Call it the ‘Amazon Prime effect’ if you like, but understand that new standards have been set and retailers need to meet or exceed them or risk being passed over by consumers.”

According to the research, 35.4 percent of consumers admitted that they will abandon shopping with a retailer even after receiving just one incorrect item, which is up from 16.5 percent in 2014. It should also be noted that if a consumer received three incorrect items or less, it can cost an online retailer 91.8 percent of their customers, which is a significant jump from 68.4 percent two years ago.

“This survey shows that consumer expectations are at their highest level during the holiday season with expediency, accuracy and traceability driving online retail shopping trends. Retailers are facing tremendous pressure to get orders right and get them delivered faster than ever before,” Phillips added. “With 77 percent of shoppers intending to have more gifts delivered to themselves this season compared to last year, the stakes are too high for fulfillment failures.”