E-commerce: What glitches annoy online shoppers the most?

51% of French people feel that e-commerce sites have had more and more bugs since the lockdown

No. 1:69% of women and 64% of men hate payment-related errors

86% of French people abandon a purchase because of a glitch

79% of women and 61% of men will shop on another website

41% of women say they lose trust in a website that has bugs

More than 71% of French people have lost money due to a glitch on an e-commerce site

  

"Thanks to this survey, we now have more precise data on how internet users respond to bugs, particularly regarding the differences between women and men. We have learned that women are much more affected by bugs and that they lose confidence very quickly when a problem arises." 

Fabien Van Herreweghe, CEO of Mr Suricate.

Mr.Suricate more than 14,800 internet users to better understand their reactions to bugs on e-commerce sites. The survey reveals very different attitudes between women and men.

 *Methodology: Survey conducted between September 4 and 10, 2020, among 14,824 people representative of the French national population using the quota method. The survey was conducted online using the BuzzPress France proprietary panel, which comprises more than 22,560 people. All information provided by respondents is based on their own statements.

Does COVID-19 also cause glitches?

E-commerce sites were obviously not prepared for the health crisis. As a logical consequence, since the onset of COVID-19, 51% of French people feel that e-commerce sites have been experiencing more and more glitches. Women are even more dissatisfied than men, with 55% expressing this view compared to 46%. Only 24% of French people think there are fewer bugs today, and 25% see no difference.

Top Most Annoying Bugs

Of all the possible problems, some tend to annoy internet users more than others. For example, 69% of women and 64% of men hate payment-related errors. In second place, for 64% of French people, are products that are ultimately unavailable even though they are listed as in stock. Finally, 404 or 500 error pages rank third and annoy men (57%) more than women (43%).

 Bug = 1 fewer buyer

E-commerce sites are losing out big time because of bugs. In fact, 86% of French people admit that they abandon a purchase because of a bug. Specifically, 57% of women and 45% of men abandon purchases very often, while 31% of women and 39% of men do so occasionally.

 

Go see what's out there

When faced with a problem, more than 70% of French people have the same reaction: they look for the product on another website. Women are even more likely to leave one site for another—79% do so, compared to 61% of men—while 26% of men contact the site for help (compared to only 12% of women).

 

A loss of confidence

Bugs have a greater impact on women. In fact, 41% of women say they lose trust in a website (compared to 9% of men). Meanwhile, 59% of men return to a website if the product is unavailable elsewhere (compared to 36% of women).

 

A little money never hurt anyone… except for websites!

Finally, the financial impact is also significant for internet users. In fact, more than 71% of French people admit that they have lost money due to a glitch on an e-commerce site.

To see the solution in action, check out our end-to-end testing.

FAQ

Which bugs annoy internet users the most?

Errors during checkout, shopping carts that empty, pages that fail to load, forms that don't work, and inconsistencies in pricing or inventory.

Why are these bugs so costly?

Because they often occur at the point of purchase: the online shopper abandons the site and goes to a competitor. This results in a direct loss of sales and poses a risk to the company’s reputation.

How can you avoid these bugs on your website?

By regularly testing critical workflows (shopping cart, checkout, forms) and monitoring production to respond quickly.

Can we detect these bugs before our customers do?

Yes, that's the whole point of journey monitoring: it continuously replays the key steps and alerts you as soon as a step fails.

How does Mr Suricate prevent them?

By automating testing and monitoring of the customer journey with real-time alerts, for both business teams and key accounts.

See also: What is a recipe notebook, and what is a test notebook?

Take It Further: Automated Testing in Retail and E-Commerce.