1、E-Retail PerformanceReport One Year On:2018 EditionA report analysing the effectiveness of UK e-retailersat achieving their growth potential.Contents Foreword MethodologyBrands we tested(A-Z)Summary of findings Page speed and visitor loss on 3G Social Media:the new frontier Utilising all channels On
2、line customer experience and ease of purchase Delivery options Payment options Making the most of a captive audience Email sign-up Encouraging incremental spend ConclusionForewordGetting the basics right:are the UKs top online retailers still falling short?Its been 12 months since we compiled our fi
3、rst e-retail performance report and in that time the sector has continued to see huge success.Latest ONS figures show that online now accounts for almost 20%of retail sales a figure which is growing at 10 times the rate of the physical store equivalent.These figures are hardly surprising against a b
4、ackdrop of net high street store closures;even industry heavyweights such as Marks&Spencer are closing dozens of their town-centre locations,shifting emphasis to their eCommerce operations.This rapidly-changing and increasingly-saturated landscape demands that retailers fight harder than ever to att
5、ract and maintain shoppers.Add to this,external pressure such as the introduction of GDPR and a relentless stream of tech innovation from the likes of Amazon and ASOS.Its clear that the UKs top retailers have their work cut out to stay ahead of the game and that optimising website performance is of
6、business-critical importance.However,our latest report highlights a general picture of complacency within the biggest names in the sector when it comes to maximising online retail opportunities.We found that,whilst some small improvements have been made,many performance metrics have stagnated and so
7、me worsened significantly.This years list of retailers has changed to reflect the updated top 250 as defined by the industry.Therefore,where performance metrics have deteriorated,it is unlikely that individual retailers have downgraded their websites,but rather that the overall standard of the sampl
8、e has dropped.This is worrying and suggests an increasingly poor performance amongst the sectors supposedly leading players.This provides a huge opportunity for smaller,hungrier businesses in the market to challenge the big brands many of whom are clearly unable(or unwilling)to focus on getting the
9、basics right-and are losing out on sales as a result.At Visualsoft,we help these brands to punch above their weight and seize such opportunities.Through our shared-success model(where retailers benefit from our best-advice and expertise for a share of increased profits rather than upfront fees)we ar
10、e working in partnership to take on the current big-players,maximising the true potential of the growth opportunities within each market.Dean Benson CEOIts clear that the UKs top retailers have their work cut out to stay ahead of the game and that optimising website performance is of business-critic
11、al importance.Once again,we selected over 250 of the leading UK e-retail companies*across a range of sectors.There are therefore some differences in the retailers listed due to natural changes in the market including shifting sales performance and store closures which means that some names have drop
12、ped off the list,whilst others have joined.Our research team tested and analysed each website against 17 criteria,making direct comparisons between the findings this year vs.those in November 2017.Our aim was to identify what progress UK e-retailers have made to maximise their true growth potential
13、in the past 12 months and if they have made any at all.Our results have been compiled,analysed and are broken down in the pages that follow.*Retailers selected from the IRUK 500 2018 reportMethodologySpecifically,we looked for:The quality of page speed and avoidance of likely visitor loss.Effective
14、use of social media channels.The use of multichannel options to complement their main site.Effective use of Google tools.Offering a responsive website that adapts to screen size.Effective use of onsite search e.g.suggestive search and recommendations.Effective use of navigation options allowing shop
15、pers to easily and quickly find products.Acceptance of multiple currencies.Use of cross-selling and up-selling on product pages.Effective use of pop-ups and overlays e.g.to remind customers of special offers or countdown of delivery slots.Effective use of secondary calls to action e.g.wish lists,sha
16、ring of purchase.Wide variety of payment methods.Multiple delivery options available.Effective email sign-up.Number of steps to purchase.Buying assistance e.g.live chat,virtual assistant.Brands we tested(A-Z)Abercrombie&FitchAccessorizeAdidasAldoAllSaintsAmerican GolfAndertons MusicAnthropologieAApp
17、leAppliancesDirectArcoArgosAria TechnologyASOSAxminsterB&QBanana RepublicBarbourBathstoreBeaverbrooks Bensons for BedsBlacksBlackwellsBodenBonmarchBBootsBurberryBurtonBurton MenswearCalendar ClubCard FactoryCarphoneWarehouse Cass ArtCath KidstonChain ReactionCycles Charles TyrwhittClairesClarksClas
18、OhlsonCoastCostcoCotswoldOutdoorCotton TradersCrew ClothingCompany Currys PC WorldCycleSurgeryDebenhamsDecathlonDeichmannDellDisney StoreDorothy PerkinsDr.MartensDreamsDune LondonDunelmEarly LearningCentre EccoEllis BrighamErnest JonesEspiritEste LauderEuro Car PartsEvansEvans CyclesF.HindsFat FaceF
19、FitnessSuperstoreFoot LockerFootasylumForever 21Fortnum&MasonFossil FoylesFragrance DirectFred PerryFFrenchConnectionFurniture VillageGameGAPGGGO OutdoorsGoldsmithsGrattanGucciGuitarguitarH.SamuelH&MHackettHalfordsHarrodsHarvey NicholsHMVHobbs LondonHobbycraftHolland&BarrettHollisterHome BargainsHom
20、ebaseHotel ChocolatHouse of FraserHPHughes ElectricalHugo BossIkea InterfloraJacamoJack&JonesJacks WillsJaegerJD SportsJD WilliamsJessopsJigsawJimmy ChooJoe BrownsJohn LewisJoJo MamanBbJoulesKaleidoscopeKaren MillenKurt GeigerLOccitaneLaithwaitesLakelandLaptopsDirectLaura AshleyLinks of LondonLittle
21、woodsLloyds PharmacyLong Tall SallyLouis VuittonLushM&CoMAC CosmeticsMajesticWineMamas&PapasMangoMaplin ElectronicsMarisotaMatalanMenKindMicrosoftMilletsMint VelvetMiss SelfridgeMissguidedMolton BrownMonsoonMoss Bros.MothercareMountainWarehouse Mr PorterNet-A-PorterNew LookNextNikeNisbetsOasisOcadoO
22、fficeOliver BonasOrvisOutdoor&CountryOverclockers UKPandoraPaperchasePaul SmithPaversPeacocksPets at HomePhase EightPost Office ShopPrettyLittleThingQuizRadleyReebokReissRicher SoundsRiver IslandRobert DyasRohanRoute OneRS ComponentsRymanSamsungScanSchuhScrewfixSelfridgesShoe ZoneSimply Besize?Skate
23、hut.co.ukSmythsSnow+RockSoleTraderSpace.NKSpecsaversSportsDStella McCartneySuperdrugSuperdrySurfdomeSwarovskiSweaty BettyT.M.LewinTed BakerThe Body ShopThe EntertainerThe FragranceShopThe North FaceThe PerfumeShopThe WhiteCompanyThe WorksThorntonsTK MaxxToolstationTopmanTopps TilesTopshopUggUniqloUr
24、ban OutfittersUSCVansVeryVictorias SecretVictorianPlumbingWaitroseWallisWarehouseWatch ShopWaterstonesWexPhotographic WhistlesWhite StuffWhittard ofChelsea WHSmithWilkoWynsors Worldof Shoes Yankee CandleUniqloUrban OutfittersYours ClothingZalandoSummary of findingsPage Speed:Page speed when viewed o
25、n mobile devices has worsened across the board,with 62%of retailers rating as poor taking longer than 9 seconds to load on 3G.This was in comparison to 54%of retailers that rated as poor in 2017.16%of retailers took 15 seconds or longer to load.Google estimates that these e-retailers will be losing
26、a minimum of 32%of all potential visitors through load time alone.In 2017,12%of retailers fell within this bracket.Just 1%of retailers rated as excellent,taking under 4 seconds to load and expected to experience low levels of potential visitor loss.This is compared to 2%of retailers that rated as ex
27、cellent in 2017.Mobile Page Load Speed Google RatingPoor2017201854%62%32%26%12%11%2%1%FairGoodExcellentMobile Page Load Speed Seconds 15 seconds(poor)2017201812%16%42%45%32%26%12%10%9-14 seconds(poor)6-8 seconds(fair)2%1%4 seconds(excellent)4-5 seconds(good)62%of retailers rating as poor-taking long
28、er than 9 seconds to load on 3G.Social Media:Almost a fifth(17%)of the leading UK e-retailers lose the opportunity to achieve sales from a shoppers network of friends and contacts by failing to put sharing buttons on their sites.In 2017,87%of retailers offered social share buttons but this dropped t
29、o 83%in 2018.Social MediaUtilise social sharing buttons2017201887%83%Multi-channel:Only 36%of leading e-retailers are making use of multi-channel options such as Amazon and eBay this has dropped from 39%in November 2017.The number of e-retailers using Google Shopping tools to increase sales opportun
30、ities has also worsened from 31%to 28%.Multi-channelUtilise marketplaces like Amazon and eBay2017201839%36%Utilise Google Shopping31%28%Almost a fifth(17%)of the leading UK e-retailers lose the opportunity to achieve sales from a shoppers network of friends and contacts.Onsite Experience:18%of top e
31、-retailers fail to optimise onsite search with functions such as autocomplete,well-targeted product suggestions or relevant recommendations.Whilst this has remained the same vs.2017,it is still a worrying statistic given the importance of effective search tools for conversion rates.Live chat functio
32、ns are becoming less frequently used UK by e-retailers.Only 37%of leading sites include this feature,despite the importance placed on such services by online shoppers.This figure has dropped from 39%in last years report.On average,it takes five steps from adding an item to basket to purchasing,This
33、has worsened over the past 12 months,when the average was three steps.Over one in 10 e-retailers have eight or more steps before purchase a figure which is likely to deter many customers from spending.Onsite ExperienceOptimise onsite search2017201883%83%Utilise live chat functions39%37%Average steps
34、 to purchase35Delivery Options:16%of e-retailers still dont offer a premium or next-day delivery option,despite this being expected by the majority of customers.Store collect was only offered by 51%of our sample a drop from 62%last year.Less than 1%of retailers offer customers the option to collect
35、from collection points or at local convenience stores.Delivery OptionsOffer next-day or premium delivery2017201816%16%Offer store collect62%51%16%of e-retailers still dont offer a premium or next-day delivery option,despite this being expected by the majority of customers.Payment Options:Almost a qu
36、arter(23%)of retailers are failing to offer a payment choice other than a mainstream credit or debit card.This has increased from 19%in 2017.PayPal is still the most popular alternative payment method(71%).Despite only being in the market for little over a year,Amazon Pay is already being used by 10
37、%of retailers.The number of retailers offering customers the option to pay in international currency was 81%.This was a positive improvement,as only 62%of retailers offered international payments in 2017.Promisingly,one in 10 retailers now offer retail finance options from companies such as Klarna a
38、 negligible point in last years data.Payment OptionsOnly offer mainstream credit card2017201819%23%Offer international currency19%23%Increasing average basket value:90%still encourage shoppers to register their email for more information,although our researchers once again found that many retailers
39、could give sign-up opportunities higher profile (especially within mobile versions of their site).91%of retailers up-sell or cross-sell to site users.This has seen an improvement on 2017 when 82%of retailers were found to put this best practice into action.The lack of pop-ups and overlays is a major
40、 missed opportunity only 66%of the retailers surveyed were found to use these as methods to increase sales.This figure has dropped from 70%in 2017.Increasing Average Basket ValueEncourage email sign-up2017201890%90%Upsell or cross-sell to customers82%91%Utilise pop-ups and overlays70%66%Almost a qua
41、rter(23%)of retailers are failing to offer a payment choice other than a mainstream credit or debit card.Page speed and visitor loss on 3GThe importance of page speedPage load speed is of utmost importance to online retail businesses.Its one of the biggest contributors to customer frustration,basket
42、 abandonment and consequently lost sales.Research shows that 47%of customers will expect a site to load in less than two seconds;an indication of consumer expectations now and in the future.Despite this,we found that page speed has worsened across the board since we compiled last years report.Almost
43、 two-thirds(62%)of retailers websites rated as poor taking longer than nine seconds to load on 3G.This was in comparison to 54%of retailers that rated as poor in 2017.A further 16%of retailer sites took 15 seconds or longer to load-an increase of 4%in 12 months.Google estimates that these e-retailer
44、s will be losing a minimum of 32%of all potential visitors through load time alone.Just 1%rated as excellent,taking under four seconds to load and expected to experience low levels of potential visitor loss.This is down from 2%of retailers that rated as excellent in 2017.These figures which relate s
45、pecifically to mobile load speeds are particularly worrying in light of Googles July 2018 site speed update.The algorithm change,which now officially takes 3G mobile site speed into account for search engine rankings,only rates sites that load in under four seconds as“excellent”and penalises those t
46、hat dont.Given that mobile drives 62%of all website traffic,with orders made via mobile devices growing 40%year-on-year globally,mobile speed performance is a key brand differentiator.By neglecting this aspect of site performance,the UKs top retailers are risking a significant drop in online visibil
47、ity something which is of critical importance to many retailers businesses.PoorFairGoodExcellent0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%Page Loading Speeds-UKs Top E-Retailers 2018 vs 20171718171817181718Research shows that 47%of customers will expect a site to load in less than two seconds.Although the findings her
48、e may seem surprising,unfortunately its still common for retailers to unwittingly sacrifice mobile performance as they grow their online stores.Decreased page speeds are often the result of increased graphics and features that simply havent been optimised for mobile,leading to poor user experiences
49、for the millions of customers that prefer to shop via their smartphones.The usual culprits are oversized images and/or videos on mobile homepages,unnecessary animations,overzealous tracking code,prematurely-loading content,and superfluous image carousels.In addition to identifying and eliminating th
50、ese common errors,we always recommend that every new element of a store is designed mobile up,as pages that perform poorly on smartphones are proven to drive away customers,and since Googles Speed Update,they can decrease organic traffic to your store too.Sarah Louise Taylor Head of Platform16%14%12