DoubleClick Performics Survey Reveals Loyalty Behavior of Online Shoppers

May 21, 2007

CHICAGO, Performance marketing company DoubleClick Performics (http://www.performics.com) today announced results of the DoubleClick Performics/e-tailing group’s Consumer Loyalty Survey, a study conducted in association with the shopper-centric, e-commerce consultants at the e-tailing group, inc. The study focused on discovering what factors impact loyalty to any particular merchant online and/or across their other available channels, the extent of participation in Frequent Buyer/Loyalty Programs, the features most important to online shoppers, and factors that deter shoppers from becoming loyal to a Web site.

“DoubleClick Performics has a deep understanding of how to engage consumers online, and when it comes to loyalty and rewards programs, this research shows consumers often seek the best value,” said Stuart Frankel, president of DoubleClick Performics. “Seven out of ten consumers shop multiple Web sites before making an online purchase to find the site offering the best deal.”

Other key findings included:

• Seventy-one percent of shoppers “browse multiple online stores prior to completing a purchase.”

• Four out of ten (42 percent) shoppers “price shop a product via comparison engines.”

• Nearly half (48 percent) of the online shoppers surveyed described their loyalty to merchants across channels (store, Web, catalog) as “somewhat loyal to certain merchants based on a combination of good value, superior service and the right mix of product.”

• Seventy percent of respondents surveyed belong to a frequent buyer/loyalty program.

• More than half of the respondents (53 percent) ranked “discounts or exclusive offers for members” as the most important feature of Frequent Buyer/Loyalty Programs.

• When deciding to go back to a Web site, “online order tracking” was rated as very important by 56 percent of those surveyed.

• Shopping patterns vary by gender, with men less loyal and women more apt to register or be influenced by promotional mail.

• “Poor service” ranked most likely to deter shoppers from becoming loyal to a Web site by 41 percent of respondents.

• Rewards’ customers (those belonging to 2+ programs) are less apt to be focused on price, utilizing more features and tools to enhance their multi-channel shopping experiences.

• At least half of the shoppers surveyed indicated purchasing clothing, books, music, computerware and toys online.

            • Free shipping continues to be the most important enticement to drive
            customers back to sites.

In March 2007, the e-tailing group, inc and DoubleClick Performics conducted research to gather feedback from online shoppers who spend at least $500 annually and make online purchases 4 times per year or more.

Between March 29 and April 12, a panel of 1,000 qualified consumers completed an online survey. Each respondent answered twenty-one closed-end questions and one open-end question pertaining to their online shopping behavior.

Questions focused on discovering factors that have the greatest impact on a shopper’s loyalty to any particular merchant; the importance of Frequent Buyer/Loyalty Programs, Customer Service, Custom Content and Tools, Personalized Merchandising Tools, and Promotional Tactics; and ‘turn-offs’ that deter shopper loyalty to a website.