Thanks David, you raise some really interesting points here, especially concerning the trust and loyalty your customers have towards the John Lewis brand. There is research to back you up on this; last year, Harris found that 90% of UK consumers transacting online expected the same, or better, levels of customer service online as they do offline. For me, the biggest difference centres on the levels of visibility. As you mention, web analytics and multivariate testing can tell you the when and where in terms of customer abandonment, but they can’t tell you the why, and this is the crucial question. It is only when you can see exactly what your customers are doing on your website step by step - as you can instore - that you can really begin to understand their actions, improve their experiences and consolidate the loyalty to your brand.
My answers
Thanks David, you raise some really interesting points here, especially concerning the trust and loyalty your customers have towards the John Lewis brand. There is research to back you up on this; last year, Harris found that 90% of UK consumers transacting online expected the same, or better, levels of customer service online as they do offline. For me, the biggest difference centres on the levels of visibility. As you mention, web analytics and multivariate testing can tell you the when and where in terms of customer abandonment, but they can’t tell you the why, and this is the crucial question. It is only when you can see exactly what your customers are doing on your website step by step - as you can instore - that you can really begin to understand their actions, improve their experiences and consolidate the loyalty to your brand.