Brafton has reported that online holiday shopping is hitting new heights, with more than $28 billion spent on the web leading into the week of Christmas. Foresee's E-Retail Satisfaction Index indicates that seasonal online shopping may be boosting brand loyalty among satisfied website visitors.
According to the study, satisfied web visitors say they are 60 percent more committed to the brands they shopped with over the holiday season. This loyalty will also likely translate into future sales, as 61 percent are more inclined to make future purchases from the retailers online and 35 percent say they will buy from the brands offline.
Additionally, brand loyalty among website visitors is turning consumers into ready brand advocates. Satisfied online visitors are 64 percent more likely to recommend brands.
Marketers developing their websites for the new year will be interested to learn that pricing was not as large a factor in online visitors' site satisfaction as retailers may think. One of the top features correlating to a positive website experience is functionality.
Another key element impacting site satisfaction is content. Foresee used "perceptions of accuracy, quality and freshness of information on the website" as a measure of overall site success. At the same time, the company says just two of the sites in its survey seemed to effectively prioritize content marketing – a misstep bearing in mind that content played a role in consumers' future behaviors, including purchases and brand commitment.
These findings support Brafton's earlier report that content marketing should be a priority for 2011. Seventy-eight percent of marketers say content is critical to their organization's success, but less than half currently have a content strategy in place.
