Even the best sites are falling short on the basics of delivering an outstanding customer experience, and are not creating a true relationship with a customer. The Bain research shows that many Web customers display relationship oriented behaviour with sites they trust. Web customers display behaviour that rewards trust, and e-tailers are missing out on the simple opportunities to grow profitably by focusing on generating long term customer relationships. These traditional retailers can leverage this advantage on-line, but most are failing to capture the true potential here. Trust matters a lot.
Customers are willing to buy across categories from a brand they trust.
While only 2 percent of Web shoppers would buy furniture from the Gap, a remarkable 25 percent of loyal Gap shoppers would buy furniture from its site. Most e-tailers fall far short here. Even the best sites are falling short on delivering a positive shopping experience simple factors such as ease of use, customer service, reliability, accurate fulfilment, and returns. This is costly and unprofitable.