2009 Survey of Online Consumer Behavior
The 5th annual survey of online consumer behavior, conducted by Harris Interactive and sponsored by Tealeaf, highlights the importance of online customer experience. The survey found that online customer experience reached an inflection point in 2009. The percent of consumers who have experienced problems when conducting transactions online showed its first substantial decrease in five years -- from approximately 87% in all previous Tealeaf surveys to 80% in 2009. While the percent of consumers experiencing online transaction problems, at 80%, remains high (the potential online shopping dollars impacted by transaction problems rings up at $47.6 billion), this improvement points to a growing business focus on delivering better customer experiences.

The survey sheds light on forces driving this accelerated online customer experience focus, including the down economy and increased consumer power due to experience-sharing via social media. It also examines consumer behavior when transacting online, call center behavior related to online issues and mobile commerce. Verticals represented in the findings include retail, insurance, travel and financial services.