Leading retailers are 'basket cases' when it comes to online checkout

A study by Logan Tod, an online optimisation consultancy, which scored online retailers on the strength of their shopping baskets, found that most chains scored a failing grade in regards to their checkout systems.

Video games retailer Games topped the list of 30 retailers, scoring a 67 per cent, while John Lewis (60 per cent) and Amazon (53 per cent) rounded out the top three.

At the other end of the spectrum, market giants such as PC World (20 per cet), O2 and Ikea (13 per cent) brought up the rear, with clothing retailer finishing last, due to a compulsory flash file download for all purchases.

Overall, the average score across 30 retailers was an "underwhelming" 30 per cent.

The shops were ranked on whether the sites offered key elements, such as product images, a list of recently viewed items, availability of products, security logos and 'continue shopping' links displayed less prominently than the 'checkout' button.

Although the majority of sites had web analytics present, and product images displayed, other basics were found to be missing.

For instance, 40 per cent of websites did not have 'persistent' baskets, lasting more than a few hours, if at all. While confirmation of availability and handling/delivery costs, which were rated the most important feature by online shoppers, were present in only a third of the sites.

Recently viewed items displayed on other pages, such as product listings on many sites, was absent in all but three cases.

Matthew Tod, chief executive at Logan Tod, said: "The low scores from these e-commerce leaders are quite surprising, especially when you consider the sums of money involved in setting up and running their websites. Retailers need to be acutely aware of how their baskets are performing and the effect it is having on their online sales."

"The shopping basket is the start of the checkout process and a key area for retailers to deliver an outstanding customer experience. If I had the choice to change only one thing on any website to optimize success this Christmas, it would be the basket page."

This article was first published on revolutionmagazine.com

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