Consumers have limited patience when it comes to e-commerce snafus

Consumers are becoming increasingly intolerant of poor shopping experiences with more than half, 63%, abandoning an online shopping cart after two purchase attempts that fail.

Those are prime findings of Applause’s fifth annual global survey on holiday shopping trends.

Consumers are willing to spend more money, but are being cautious and paying more attention to sales and discounts, according to a press release on the study’s findings.

While most respondents stuck to their budgets (31%) or spent less than planned (21%), 48% reported that they spent more than they intended.

Just about a third, 26%, of consumers polled would abandon an online purchase if they encountered a bug at any point during the shopping experience. Consumers are more likely to abandon a purchase at checkout over any other point in the process (28%).

Mobile devices continue to gain popularity as the preferred method of shopping: 72% reported they prefer using a smartphone or tablet vs. a desktop/laptop or voice-activated smart device – up from 68% last year and 43% in 2020.

“If one thing is clear from this year’s survey, it’s that continuing financial pressures mean consumers are less tolerant than ever of poor checkout experiences. With more than half of consumers only reattempting a failed payment twice before abandoning a purchase, transaction errors are something brands cannot afford,” Luke Damian, chief growth officer at Applause, said in the release.