[Fairfield Connecticut, 20 February, 2017] –  According to a recent survey conducted by QualiTest Group, the world’s largest pure play QA and independent software testing company, retailers should beware. The findings show that 65% of consumers surveyed are likely to abandon a purchase due to bugs or glitches in the checkout process – whether purchasing on web, mobile web or mobile app.

Other highlights from the survey include:

  • Nearly 55% of consumers reported experiencing technical difficulties during the billing/checkout process

  • The most common technical difficulty reported was a frozen page, which almost 60% reported, while 40% reported billing specific bugs

  • 47% of respondents said that bugs and glitches negatively affected their perception of the brand

  • 62% of all respondents said they would doubt the security of a transaction if a bug or glitch was experienced
  • Majorities in every age group doubt the legitimacy of an online retailer when they experience a glitch

“The retail industry is highly competitive and if retailers fail to provide a smooth, glitch-free shopping experience they’ll lose revenue immediately and their chances of winning repeat customers plunges,” said Ami Sterling, CMO of QualiTest. “This survey underscores the importance for retailers to make sure that they provide a seamless, smooth experience to customers, something which is not a choice, but absolutely essential to building retail success, especially as online shopping continues to far eclipse in-store shopping.”

Another recent research report, found that “returning visitor transactions comprised 48% of all U.S. e-commerce sessions in the fourth quarter of 2015 and spent $2.7 billion, almost double what new shoppers spent in that time period.”. The report also found that returning visitors also have a higher conversion rate, underlining the crucial importance of repeat customers. These statistics further bolster the importance of QualiTest’s report, especially when it comes to long-term measures such as legitimacy of the retailer and perception of brand.

The QualiTest survey found that despite large majorities of consumers shopping online (80% of respondents), 73% shopping with mobile web, and 68% shopping with a mobile app, that UX hasn’t matched widespread adoption. Nearly 55% of consumers reported experiencing technical difficulties during the billing process, a phenomenon that led to 65% saying they were either somewhat, or very likely to abandon a purchase, which could lead to lower retailer profits and retailer struggles. The most common technical difficulty reported was a frozen page, which almost 60% reported, while 40% reported billing specific bugs.

When asked if they would doubt the security of a transaction if a bug or glitch was experienced 62% of all respondents said they would and even younger age ranges such as 18-24 and 25-34 showed majorities (58% and 62% respectively) that would doubt the security of the transaction. But it wasn’t just the security bugs negatively impacted – 53% would doubt the legitimacy of a retailer when experiencing bugs, with the two youngest age ranges showing a slightly higher level of doubt, 55% each. Brand perception also suffered when bugs and glitches were experienced, with 41% of all respondents saying it negatively affected their perception of a brand.

The survey, conducted in June 2017, was jointly carried out with Google Consumer Surveys based on a representative sample of more than 1,000 respondents from the United States between the ages of 18 and 54.

The full results of the survey can be found here.

About QualiTest Group 

QualiTest is the world’s largest pure play software testing and quality assurance specialist. QualiTest designs and delivers solutions that leverage deep industry-specific understanding with cutting-edge, testing technology. QualiTest offers a wide range of personalized testing solutions with years of expertise in the technology, telecom, healthcare, finance, defense, media, utilities and retail industries. With offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and India, the company serves over 500 customers worldwide. QualiTest is backed by majority equity holder, Marlin Equity Partners since 2016.