Tealeaf provides online customer experience
management (CEM). Their CEM
solutions include both a customer behavior analysis suite and customer service
optimization suite. I have written about them before (see: Understanding Your
Online Customer's Moves with TeaLeaf). They also sponsor an annual Online
Consumer Survey. Here is my post on last year's survey (Online Customer
Experience - What is Going On?) The 2009 survey has some
interesting results.
What struck me most is the way consumers are increasingly
likely to share their experiences and opinions about companies, rather than
with them. They are using social media to do this. The rise of Twitter is one
vehicle but there are many others that have been around for a while such as
blogs and forums. I have even
tweeted about a brand myself and was pleased to see them respond (Conmcast).
Here is the data: 26% of online adults who experience
problems conducting online transactions posted complaints on a company's
Website in 2009, down from 32% in 2008. At the same time 38% of all online
adults contacted a company╒s call center after
encountering problems using the Website in 2009, down from 47% in 2008. In
contrast 12% of online adults who encountered issues said they shared those
experiences via blogs or social networks, twice as many as in 2008.
This 12% may seem like a small number but the survey also
reveals that these shared experiences are highly influential and should
therefore be a real business concern. More than half (54%) of all online adults
said social media content has influenced their online transactions, with 82% of
respondents said social media has influenced their choice of vendor.
The survey goes on to say that online adults whose
transactions have been influenced by social media content actually respond to
positive reviews (26%) more so than negative ones (21%). So it pays to create
good reviews and opinions about your products online.
This all has a major business impact since in it is
estimated that in 2009, $47.6 billion will potentially be impacted by online
transaction problems, on U.S. shopping websites alone. This impact comes in
various forms. For example, 51% of consumers would not buy from the same brand
if they had a problem online with them. Most of us experience some problem
although this is slightly improving. The 2009 survey reported 80% of adults
have had a problem shopping or getting services online but this is down from
87% the year before.
The Web may be the new frontier of business but results
like these reminds u of both the current impact, the potential, the long way we
have to go to reach a more mature market, and the need for companies to
participate to survive and prosper.
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