- Stacy Straczynski

Retailers plan to make online shopping easier for consumers in several key ways, according to a report released today. The survey from Forrester Research and Shop.org found that a majority of retailers will aim to provide customers with larger amounts of better information as they make online buying decisions.
 
Improving the checkout process was ranked as a priority by 79 percent of the retailers. Eighty-eight percent plan to improve shipping transparency by providing more detail on costs, as well as departure and arrival times. Additionally, 67 percent of retailers plan to make total order amounts visible to shoppers prior to checkout. More than half (60 percent) reported plans to enhance their respective home pages.
 
"Retailers realize that, particularly during an economic downturn, shoppers who understand shipping charges at the beginning of the checkout process are less likely to abandon their purchases," said Sucharita Mulpuru, Forrester Research vice president, principal analyst and lead author of the report, in a statement.
 
Retailers also plan to increase the availability of online product information so users can make more informed decisions about their purchases. Half will add alternate image views and 31 percent will add color option previews. More than half (55 percent) have made customer rating and review tools a priority and 34 percent will take advantage of automatic recommendation capabilities.


Nielsen Business Media