Satisfaction Lower With Mobile Than PC Websites, May Impact Brand Perception

ForeSee Results, which measures customer satisfaction for websites using the American Customer Satisfaction Index methodology, has released a study measuring satisfaction with leading retailer mobile sites. What the firm found was that Apple and Amazon were the satisfaction leaders (by a significant margin). In fact, satisfaction with Apple’s mobile site was higher than for its traditional website. However, the opposite was true for all the other companies in the survey.

The following chart is the mobile-PC satisfaction comparison produced by ForeSee.

OK, so what?

ForeSee explained that these mobile satisfaction scores matter because they will likely have a cross-channel impact and affect future consumer shopping behavior:

[T]he ForeSee study shows that satisfaction with the mobile experience has a significant cross-channel impact. Mobile shoppers who are highly satisfied with their mobile experience are 54% more likely to consider the company next time they want to make a similar purchase, and twice as likely to buy from the retailer’s mobile channel again.

Negative mobile experiences definitely impact future mobile usage. It’s not entirely clear that they will affect future consumer usage of the subject companies’ PC websites. Regardless, more and more consumers are using mobile devices to access the internet and poor mobile experiences will have direct consequences and opportunity costs.

There is also a potential brand-perception impact, which ForeSee may be alluding to, from a positive or negative mobile experience. A poor mobile experience may taint the brand, while a positive mobile experience can lift the brand. Another study conducted by Indiana University found that successful and well-designed mobile apps had a positive impact on brand favorability and purchase intent.

ForeSee also released some other findings from its survey, which echo other data already in the market:

• A third of online shoppers (34 percent) used their mobile phones to research products while 15 percent made a purchase directly from their phone, up from 11 percent last year.
• One in five online shoppers (19 percent) used a mobile phone to compare prices or products while shopping in a retail location.
• 19 percent of all online shoppers are now using mobile phones to compare prices while shopping inside a store.

The “takeaway” from this research is that it’s not enough to have a mobile presence; brands and e-commerce sites in particular must deliver a positive mobile experience to their customers.

About The Author

Greg Sterling

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.