Complaints against online retailers are on the rise with a new report from the Europe-wide consumer group,
euroconsumer.org.uk/index/publications/news/2006/news_may06_consumer_satisfaction_survey.htm European Consumer Centres identifying a 74% increase i.complaints from online shoppers in 2005.
As internet shopping has enjoyed incredible growth in recent years, retailers have invested
heavily in enhancing the customer service of their online offerings, but traditional concerns from consumers still pervade. The mos.common causes fo.complaint identified ar.complaint handling an.communication in finding a course of redress as well as the more widely recognised late or non-delivery of goods and faulty or damaged products.
Whilst the online retail sector reflects on the finding of the report and seeks to enhance the customer experience provided one segment of the online retail sector escapes criticism. Onlin.comparison sites offering information and resale through price and produc.comparison are viewed more favourably by the customer. Sites such as
dialaphone.co.uk/mobilephoneshops.html Dial-a-Phone shun the direct sales approach of the more traditional online retailer and provide a more customer centric approach to product display. Recent surveys and reports suggest that this greater degree of interaction and impartiality is beneficial to reseller an.comparison sites as opposed to their direct retail counterparts.
In the personal finance sector this is perhaps more true than in any other with credit card and loans sites revealed to be a particular source of dissatisfaction.comparison sites which resell to retail sites agai.come out favourably with sites such as
moneynet.co.uk/credit-card/index.shtml Moneynet providing additional information and services than the credit card or loans vendors.
But for the majority of online retailers the challenge is to reciprocate the customer interaction and course of redress that the more traditional high street retailers offer. Indeed, organisations such as the
citizensadvice.org.uk/ Citizens Advice Bureau are calling for more stringent consumer laws for online shoppers to obtain redress. Whilst there is no doubt that the convenience and choice offered by the online retail sector provides many consumer benefits and the sector will no doubt continue to show significant growth over the forthcoming years, the need for increased customer satisfaction indicates that the online retailers can perhaps learn a thing or two fro.comparison sites.
