Marks and Spencer tops m-commerce satisfaction league
Second customer service success in a month for retailer
Multichannel retailer Marks and Spencer has topped the overall league table in the second mCommerce benchmark study, credited with providing consumers with a functional yet stylish mobile site to compliment their online offering.
The study, carried out by eDigitalResearch, assessed the shopping process on both optimised and non-optimised sites, looking at first impressions through to product delivery.
The award marks the second customer service success for M&S this month. The retailer finished narrowly second to American Express in the uSwitch credit card customer satisfaction awards, beating off all the major UK banks.
Results of the mobile survey show that general customer satisfaction with the end to end mobile journey is starting to increase as retailers invest heavily in the channel. However, it found that mobile commerce still has a considerable way to go to rival more established online platforms.
Derek Eccleston, research director at eDigitalResearch, commented: “With the popularity of smart devices set to continue growing, more and more retailers are now developing mCommerce sites to facilitate shopping on the move.
“As we continue to witness a ‘MEcommerce’ revolution, where people are now able to dictate to retailers how, where and when they shop, it is essential that browsing and shopping via a smart device is quick and simple, yet provides the same functionality and design as a retailers standard website accessed via a PC.”
Practical website
The survey found that Marks and Spencer offers mobile consumers a practical m-commerce site, gaining an overall score of 88.8%, improving on their second place 86.8% in the initial study back in September 2010. Their keyword search allows users to refine and filter results quickly and easily, whilst their product pages offer a condensed and compacted version of the standard web pages.
Feedback conclusively shows whilst shoppers prefer the usability of a mobile optimsied site, they still favour the design, style and appeal of a standard website. First impressions was the worst performing section with an average score of 76%, highlighting the continued investment and development needed from retailers in order to match their online counterparts.
Eccleston added: “It is encouraging that after our first study retailers are already learning from recent mistakes, adapting their mobile strategies in order to meet the expectations of mobile savvy shoppers. However, it is essential that as smart device ownership continues to increase, brands continue to invest in the platform in order to encourage purchases and increase brand advocacy”.
However, the research also found that some retailers, such as Waitrose, are confusing and complicating the mobile journey and limiting shoppers to certain product ranges, despite developing an m-commerce site.
The results highlight that retailers need to be offering consumers a seamless journey across all channels, including mobile platforms. Comments conclusively show that shoppers expect the same experience that they are accustom to online and on the high street.
The report can be downloaded at: https://ecustomeropinions.com/survey/survey.php?sid=340113959