In order to generate a sustainable satisfaction and retain users, e-commerce platforms must now provide an intuitive navigation environment and adapt their ergonomics to the needs of visitors, including an easy access to the product ranges that are available online and to the customer service. To measure the quality of the browsing experience, the e-Performance Observatory published by Yuseo is focusing on the consumer’s experience.
"A simultaneous measurement of three dimensions - Access to the Product Offering, Access to the Customer Service and Ordering Process - for each of the tested websites, allows a comparison of the functioning of the main online players," explains Jean-Pierre Leborgne, Partner Manager at Yuseo.
For the third edition of the e-Performance Observatory dedicated to online beauty retailers, Yuseo has selected a sample of more than 4,500 users that have been asked to browse the sites of the four market leaders in France: Douglas, Marionnaud, Nocibé, and Sephora). The study was conducted in two stages: first a comparison phase during which users were asked to perform the same task on each of the four websites, namely to find a specific product, then a phase called "Site focus" in which the websites were tested by 120 participants, different for each site, the participants being asked to perform three identical tasks.
Product accessibility: key factor of success
The comparison phase has revealed very close scores on several issues, in particular with regard to the product pictures. However, the gap is widening on certain key issues of online merchandising, including the home page clarity, the presentation of the offering and the effectiveness of searching tools.
"The importance of searching tools is well established on the Internet. It is a key component of the flexibility that is expected (or required) by users," says Yuseo. "In this regards, the sector generates a pretty good perception even if two retailers are lagging behind."
Browsing experience and satisfaction
With an average rate of success that reaches 50% for the tasks performed by individual users on each site and corresponding to three main dimensions of the online purchase experience (access to the goods, order process, and reinsurance / customer information), the quality of the browsing experience is mitigated. Furthermore, the score appears significantly lower than for the previous edition of the barometer: 60% in 2012.
As far as the navigation experience is concerned there are strong differences between the various online retailers as the gap between the first and the last reaches 11 points. According to Yuseo, such a result demonstrates the “persistence of different types of navigation pitfalls depending on the site."
As per the satisfaction index expressed by users in relation to their browsing experience, the average score is 7/10, with a gap of 1.5 points between the first and the last website.
In the end, Yuseo explains, "in a highly competitive environment and with rising expectations from the users perception of these signs was negatively impacted by the browsing experience of users. "
By entering a little further into the details, one can see that the customers’ main satisfaction criteria are: the large choice of products available, the clarity of presentation of the different product lines and the completeness of the product data sheets. With regard to these criteria, "Nocibé and Sephora achieve pretty high scores regarding a wide and comprehensive range that meet all expectations. However, as far as the staging of lines, and the content and presentation of product data sheet are concerned, Nocibé clearly stands out of the mass," says Yuseo.
