NEW DELHI, August 28: More than 70 per cent of consumers/visitors are unlikely to purchase from, or even return to, a website after encountering a pet peeve. And, because only 25 per cent of consumers say they will complain to the companies about their pet peeves, the use of features that annoy consumers may be having a negative impact that is difficult to trace or measure. These are some of the findings of a recent survey conducted by Hostway Inc.
"The results of this survey are a clear warning to e-businesses," said John Lee, vice-president of marketing at Hostway. "The Internet has matured to the point where consumers demand an easy online experience. Quite simply, consumers are warning companies, you’re going to lose my business if your website experience is annoying."
According to the survey results, a whopping 93 per cent of consumers said pop-up ads are annoying or extremely annoying; 89 per cent were annoyed at the need to install extra software, and 83 per cent expressed annoyance with registration log-on pages that block access to online content.
This survey also measured the likelihood of other consumer responses when encountering their top pet peeves:
- 74 per cent were extremely or somewhat likely to unsubscribe from the company’s promotions or messages;
- 71 per cent were extremely or somewhat likely to view the company in a negative way;
- 55 per cent were extremely or somewhat likely to complain about the website to friends/associates.
"In an increasingly Internet-focused world, consumers have many choices," said Lee. "These results clearly show that visitors will make a behavioral change if they encounter a website that annoys them. In the context of this research, SMBs (small to-medium-sized businesses) have the opportunity to analyse their websites and make appropriate changes."
What irks consumers the most? The survey asked consumers to rank their most annoying website pet peeve and 35 per cent responded that pop-up ads were their number one pet peeve. Directly following were requirement to register and log-on before viewing a site (at 17 per cent) and requiring the installation of extra software to view the site (at 16 per cent).
Additionally, the survey presented a list of website quirks and asked consumers to describe each one on a scale of annoyance:
- 86 per cent said dead links were annoying or extremely annoying;
- 84 per cent found confusing navigation annoying or extremely annoying;
- 83 per cent said slow-loading pages were annoying or extremely annoying;
- 80 per cent felt ineffective site-search tools were annoying or extremely annoying.
Comparatively fewer consumers ranked aesthetic characteristics of websites annoying or extremely annoying:
- 59 per cent thought moving text was annoying or extremely annoying;
- 55 per cent felt strongly that poor appearance in regard to colour, fonts and format were annoying or extremely annoying.
The survey data additionally identified differences between genders, generations and income levels. Survey results suggested that women and those beyond 60 years of age are more likely to have a strong opinion on their pet peeves, regardless of their income or geographic locations. Consumers with an income greater than $90,000 and those aged 40-49 had the highest percentage of respondents naming pop-up ads as their top pet peeves.
Market research firm TNS conducted the survey for Hostway between July 7-11 questioning 2,500 adult consumers across the US about their website pet peeves.
