Media Coverage | 2001 Archive

Retail Week: Holes Appear in Online Sock Shops

Surely nothing could be easier than buying a pair of socks online? Retail Week asked The Usability Company to test seven well-known UK e-tail sites to find out how hard it is. Here are the results...

You would imagine that finding and ordering a pair of socks from a Web site would take a matter of seconds and very little brain-power in today's Web-enabled world.

However, our survey, carried out by specialist Web site evaluator The Usability Company, proves that this is not the experience of today's online shoppers, whether they are regular Internet users or novices.

In the usability survey, out of 56 potential transactions, eight were never completed because users found navigation difficult, lost baskets or gave up in frustration. Two sites took an average of nearly 12 minutes to make an order, and one ­ Next ­ proved exasperating to navigate.

Our ranking (see table), based on the report's findings, puts Allders first for its ease of navigation and the speed at which shoppers could locate and order a pair of socks. Next, M&S and Debenhams all fared badly.

The experiences of eight shoppers ­ including their online interactions, facial expressions and 'think aloud' and written views ­ when attempting to buy socks from seven different sites were recorded in a controlled environment and then analysed by researchers earlier this month.

The Usability Company recruited a panel of eight participants, from varied backgrounds and age groups, whose Internet proficiency ranged from 'expert' to 'beginner'. According to head of research Grant Campbell, eight participants is best practice in Web usability testing, as it delivers an optimum return of issues.

The participants' task was simply to purchase a pair of men's socks, size 6-11 from each of the sites. "Our aim was to highlight the hurdles faced by real users when attempting to make a purchase," says Campbell. "We were able to pinpoint where Web sites are fatally flawed and why shoppers and sales fall by the wayside."

Campbell quotes Forrester's US estimate that between 65 and 95 per cent of baskets are lost when shoppers attempt to buy online ­ clearly a massive problem, and the reason why 36 per cent of US Web site-owners conduct usability research.

Baskets are lost if shoppers can't find a product or the 'add to basket' function, at registration and at checkout if transactions can't be completed.

In Retail Week's survey, problems were found with search functions, navigation and registration procedures, and basket and checkout points.

Allders impressed users because it has a very clear search function," says Campbell.

In comparison, Next was slow, laborious, and confusing. "Any search that requires more than four clicks cannot be considered user-friendly," says research co-ordinator Laura Marr. "Most shoppers want to locate a particular item quickly and will get frustrated at any unnecessary obstacles."

The report concludes that "even a relatively simple site has huge pitfalls for an everyday user". Clearly, if e-tailers are to build sales, these usability issues need to be tackled immediately.

Back to top

 
© The Usability Company 2007