Web merchants that fail to meet consumers’ expectations risk being out of business by the second quarter of 2001, says a new report by the Gartner Group Inc., San Jose, CA.
Three major Web site problems drive customers away, the study points out: lack of product fulfillment, poor customer-centric, intuitive site navigation and a lack of reasonable, reliable shipping fees and delivery dates.
Advice includes designing the Web site so a customer can get their answer in two clicks, and keeping the customer informed about the status of their order. Retailers need to have an integrated “decrement” process in which a replenishment order is sent to the supplier when inventory has reached a critical level, says the report. In addition, shipping fees should not be a profit center, and shipping delivery dates should be reasonable.
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