The longer consumers spend online, the more likely they are to shop online. But that doesn't mean they'll shop successfully.
According to a new Boston Consulting Group study, 28 percent of all attempts at online commerce fail, for reasons ranging from technical problems to delivery mix-ups.
And, while consumers may be willing to put up with some problems, the mistakes could come back to haunt e-commerce players trying to build their customer base -- 28 percent of shoppers who have problems with a purchase attempt said they would stop shopping online entirely.
Bricks-and-mortar players with shoddy online enterprises could suffer a double-blow -- the survey found that 6 percent of shoppers who ran into a problem online stopped shopping at that e-tailer's offline store as well.
"It's extremely important that clicks-and-mortar retailers recognize that online experience can affect their offline perception," said David Pecaut, senior vice president at BCG.
And while consumers are growing more accustomed to online shopping -- of users who have been online more than three years -- over 60 percent shop online -- they still have concerns. And the top concern for 44 percent of the users tracked by BCG was one that e-commerce players have been fighting for some time -- credit card fraud.
"In many cases the guarantee is already there. The vendor's picking up that guarantee and publicizing it would be a big plus form the point of view of the consumer," Pecaut said.
