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Royal Mail has developed a free tool to enable e-tailers to improve customers' buying experience and thereby reduce "shopping cart abandonment".
www.royalmail.com/deliverypromisetool" target="_blank">The Delivery Promise Tool takes 15 minutes to complete, and provides analysis of any e-tail website from a shopper’s view, offering advice on areas such as website navigation, the buying process, delivery options and information through to the post-purchase experience.
E-tailers receive a detailed report highlighting any areas of the site that could benefit from improvement, and recommendations on how the website can develop its service.
The launch follows the publication of Royal Mail’s latest Delivery Matters Research, which revealed that one in three buyers frequently abandoned their online shopping cart last year, resulting in lost sales of £2.7bn. Some 93% of respondents said they had abandoned their shopping cart at some point.
More than half of those who abandoned their shopping cited unhappiness with the delivery charge as their reason, with 31% saying they had done so because of lengthy delivery times.
Nearly two thirds of online shoppers said they would continue or increase their usage of an e-tailer if clear information about delivery charges was provided, while the same number said good customer service would lead to an increase in usage.
Dan Hewett, head of small business goods fulfilment at Royal Mail, said: “The online marketplace grows ever more competitive and having tempted shoppers to explore their stores, e-tailers simply cannot afford to miss out on sales because of poor website functionality and inadequate delivery information.
“Our research shows that delivery details and options remain a major influence on online shopping habits. The majority of e-retailers understand the importance of offering the best shopping experience online and Royal Mail’s Deliver Promise Tool is a fast and simple way to receive useful tips that can help them better achieve this goal.”