RETAIL BENCHMARK STUDY

�Measuring the Online Experience ofRetailers on Tablet Devices

Author: Ann RochanayonSr. Director of UX/CX Research at UserZoom

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IntroductionSmartphone and tablet ownership has steadily increased over the years. As of January 2014, 58% of US adults own a smartphone and 42% own a tablet. Mobile device owners use their devices for a myriad of activities, including shopping. 87% of consumers conduct much of their shopping-related activities on a mobile device. Looking specifically at tablets, 65% research product information on tablets and 40% make purchases directly from their tablets2. It’s essential for retailers to understand the mobile web experience on tablets.

1 http://www.pewresearch.org/data-trend/media-and-technology/device-ownership/2 http://www.nielsen.com/content/corporate/us/en/insights/news/2014/shopping-lists-how-mobile-helps-consumers-tick-all-the-boxes.html

58%42%

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Methodology

1. Determine which retail site presents the best tablet shopping experience

2. Assess the impact of the tablet shopping experience on brand, Net Promoter score and conversion

• UserZoom researchers conducted a competitive benchmark study to assess the tablet shopping experience on four retail sites with the following goals:

Participants were invited from the Survey Sampling International panel to answer a few questions in a screener survey to ensure they meet the demographic criteria for the study. Qualified participants were taken directly into the study, where they were asked a few market research questions and were randomly assigned to perform three tasks on one of four sites.

• Sites evaluated:

• Participants tested one of four sites in Nov - Dec 2014 on a tablet

• N=202

• Ages 18+

• Shopped for clothing and accessories online at least once per year

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MethodologyStudy Design

• Between-subjects design

• N=202 (~50 per site)

Final Questions

Screener

Macy’s Nordstrom Urban Outfitters Lands’ End

Introductory Questions

Find a jacket Return policy Checkout

1 2 3

Participant ProfilePurchase Experience

Please indicate your gender.

Please indicate your age range.

Which of the following best describes

how frequently you purchase clothes and

accessories online?84%

16%

Female

Male

5%

42%

17%

14%

21%

18-25

26-35

36-45

46-55

Over 55

15%

39%

38%

8%

Weekly

Monthly

Several Times per year

Once per year

N = 2028

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Summary

User Experience RankingsTask EffectivenessTask Ease of Use

Lands’ EndNordstrom

Macy’sUrban Outfitters

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SummaryUser Experience Rankings

To assess the overall user experience ranking of the sites, UserZoom captured usability metrics for three key tasks on each tablet site. Participants were asked to find an item meeting specific criteria, find return policy information and asked to evaluate the checkout process. The usability metrics captured include key performance indicators such as task effectiveness, ease of use, and clarity of information. The rankings were derived according to how each site performed on each measure.

*Score based out of 100 possible points

User Experience Score*

79

72

70

55

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SummaryTask Effectiveness

• Participants were most successful in completing the study tasks on the Lands’ End site

• Urban Outfitters had the lowest overall task success rates

96%

88%

79%

98% 98%

90%

69%

98%

86%

94%

85%

98%

Find a Jacket Return Policy Checkout

Macy’s N=50 Nordstrom N=49 Urban Outfitters N=52 Land’s End N=51

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SummaryTask Ease of Use

• Lands’ End performed relatively well overall on task ease of use

• Urban Outfitters had the lowest ease of use ratings, consistent with the lower task success rates

72%65%

37%

69%

48%

67%

38%

61%68%

78%

62%

86%

Find a Jacket Return Policy Checkout

Macy’s N=50 Nordstrom N=49 Urban Outfitters N=52 Land’s End N=51

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SummaryLands’ End

Lands’ End led all sites with the highest ratings in the usability metrics

Nearly all participants succeeded in all three tasks, more than any other site

Lands’ End also had relatively high ease of use ratings and was rated highest on post-study brand perception

Participants found the Lands’ End site fast, simple, easy to use and understand; Lands’ End also provided clear return policy information

Although Lands’ End rated highest on task success and fewest issues encountered for the Return Policy task, one area of improvement to consider would be cleaning up the look and feel / organization of the Return policy page

•

•

•

•

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After interacting with the site, Lands’ End had the biggest increase in positive brand perception.

Pre-site evaluation Post-site evaluation

62% 62%57%

69%

23%18%

76%

44%

* Selected 6-7 on a 7-point scale where 1 = Negative and 7 = Positive

Macy’s Nordstrom Urban Outfitters Lands’ End

N=

37

N=

50

N=

37

N=

49

N=

31

N=

52

N=

39

N=

51

Site Delta

Macy’s

Nordstrom

Urban Outfitters

Lands’ End

0%

14%

21%

58%

Brand Perception

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Nordstrom was associated with ‘Customer-oriented’ and ‘High quality,’ while Macy’s was most associated with ‘Value’ and ‘Variety’.

Based only on your experience today, which of the following attributes do you

associate with [COMPANY]?

Customer-oriented

Exclusive

High quality

Value

Variety

10%24%

23%8%

40%18%

12%31%

52%41%

35%33%

54%63%

40%51%

51%42%

19%37%

Macy’s N=50 Nordstrom N=49 Urban Outfitters N=52 Land’s End N=51

Post Site Interaction Brand Attributes

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Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Participants were most likely to recommend Macy’s, followed by Nordstrom.Urban Outfitters had far more detractors than promoters with a -56% NPS.

How likely are you to recommend [SITE] to a

friend or colleague?

Detractor (0-6) Passive (7-8) Promoter (9-10)

43% 20% 37%

69% 17% 14%

45% 33% 22%

36% 18% 46% 10%

-6%

-56%

-23%

Macy's N=50

Nordstrom N=49

Urban Outfitters N=52

Lands End N=51

NPS

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Clarity of Return Policy Information

Not only were participants most successful in finding return policy on Lands’ End, but the information was also the most clear.

How clear was the information regarding

returning purchases by mail?

4% 8%

31%

61%

25%

25%

50%

4%

26%

70%

36%

60%

Macy'sN=50

NordstromN=49

Urban OutfittersN=52

Lands’ EndN=51

Not at all clear (1-2) Neutral (3-5) Very clear (6-7)

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Purchase Experience / Preference

• 87% of participants have purchased physical, non-digital products in the past

• 44% prefer to purchase physical products in a store, followed closely by tablets at 41%

How have you purchased physical, non-digital

products in the past (e.g., clothing, accessories,

electronics, office supplies)?

Where do you prefer to purchase

physical products?

87%

56%

32%

44%41%

11%

4%

In a store Tablet Desktop MobileTablet Desktop Mobile