WHAT DO E-CONSUMERS WANT?

• Position: Electronic shoppers - Brief Article

Marly consumers are wary and distrustful of online retailers, and these feelings prevent online retailing from becoming even bigger than it already is, suggests Richard Feinberg, professor of human sciences and retailing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "Fifty to 75% of consumers do not complete online purchases of items they want because of poorly designed websites. The most frequent button clicked on e-retail sites is the back button, which is an expression of people's frustration with poor site design and frustration with the e-shopping experiences. If e-retailers are to succeed, they are going to have to create trust and exceed customers' expectations better than they have in the past."

The crux of the matter, he maintains, is that negative experiences at an e-retail site make it less likely that the consumer will return there or to other sites. The top customer gripes about online shopping, according to customer surveys, are slow websites, 48%; products unavailable, 31%; late deliveries, 30%; inability to track order status, 25%; and website outage, 22%.

There are two types of online shoppers who require different buying experiences, Feinberg indicates. "Three-click shoppers are those who know what they want to buy and want to have the transaction be as quick and simple as possible. The second type of online consumers are those who are uncertain about what they want to purchase and need an enriched shopping experience. For these customers, the e-retailer should have a range, but not an overwhelming choice, of items and offer an easy method of ordering and payment." Other buyers' wishes include:

* Consumers should be able to find and purchase an item in...