Survey: Online Shoppers Want More Info, Availability [AUDIO]

What do you look for most when shopping online? ForeSee’s 2011 Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index said consumers this year were not as interested in discounted prices as they were in the past. From 2008-2010, during the economic downturn, price was a key factor. That was not the case this holiday season.

“For the first time in about three years, consumers were satisfied with price relatively so,” said Larry Freed, President and CEO of ForeSee, a customer experience analytics firm.

Freed said consumers were more interested in, and looked for improvement on, merchandise availability and the ability to find more information about products.

“The great thing about e-commerce is it really serves two purposes,” said Freed. “One, as a commerce vehicle that continues to be getting better and better. The second, as a research tool, which also continues to be improving.”

Only between 40 and 50 percent of the people who visited an online retail site during the holiday reason did so with the intent to buy. The other group was interested in product research so they could purchase the item in-store.

Overall, according to the Index, customer satisfaction numbers this year were the best ever for the top 40 online retailers.

Online shopping is becoming the norm, according to Freed.

He continued, “It’s the easy way for people to do things.”

Freed said for retailers, the value of improving satisfaction is significant. He noted retailers are paid back many times over in terms of loyalty from the customers.