Summer Surveys of 2500 Online Shoppers Reveals an "Expectations Gap" Between Many Small E-tailers and Their Customers
Online shoppers expect consistent service from smaller merchants too.
Los Angeles, CA. -- September 13,1999 -- As summer comes to an end, Public Eye surveys of 2500 e-shoppers revealed that consumers are generally very satisfied with their shopping experience with small to mid-sized e-tailers, with 84% of consumers who shop at boutique sites giving these merchants high grades. But the comments collected, along with the surveys and the merchant responses to these comments, reveal a disconnect between many consumers who expect consistent customer services from e-tailers regardless of size, and some merchants who expect consumers to understand that they are just a small business.
The surveys show that many consumers are not reducing their expectations of e-tailers simply because they are small. "The message we are gleaning form e-shoppers is clear: small e-tailers must deliver world class customer service if they are going to run in the tall weeds with the big dogs. This seemed to escape many merchants who simply went fishing for the summer, expecting their customers to understand that they would attend to their orders when they returned. In some cases small e-tailers returned from vacation to find that their customers had filed complaints with Public Eye and various other agencies," says Errol Smith co-founder of Public Eye.
Though many boutique e-merchants consistently deliver a level of personal service that outperforms the branded stores, other small e-tailers have been slower to grasp the protocols of big league customer service. For example, small e-tailers are often resistant to grant concessions that bigger brands routinely make to keep a customer. "We've seen situations where merchants lost salvageable customers with legitimate complaints because they were unwilling to cover a $10 return shipping fee. This kind of shortsightedness may be driven by the anemic cash flows many small businesses face, but it's a fact that garners little sympathy from many consumers" said Smith.
Since 1996 Public Eye has maintained a focus on building confidence between consumers and small to mid-sized Internet merchants. Pioneers in the use of consumer feedback to promote safer e-commerce, Public Eye the largest aggregator of customer satisfaction data in this market segment, trusted by over 7,500 small to mid-sized merchants to continually survey their customers. As a result, Public Eye is uniquely positioned to give insight in to this expanding roll of small merchants in the e-commerce revolution.
For more information Contact Belinda Winn at 800/409-6476 or
wms@epubliceye.com Public Eye at http://www.epubliceye.com
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