SDL Tridion, leader in global Web Content Management (WCM), and part of the SDL Group, leader in Global Information Management (GIM) solutions, today launched the results of an independent survey entitled ‘What the Customer Wants’.

Survey results from 1,000 UK consumers highlight an increasing sophistication in internet usage and reveal what customers want from their online browsing and shopping experience.

Contrary to popular belief, internet users do not consider businesses that track their online behaviour and shopping habits to be intrusive.  74% of respondents value customer loyalty schemes that offer discounts based on their personal shopping habits more highly than other features.  Furthermore, consumers want convenience and relevance to help speed up and simplify their online experience, with two thirds (66%) expecting to view content specific to their interests and needs.

"Unquestionably the recession has prompted consumers to shop online to find the best deals and save money.  What is refreshing, however, is how much more sophisticated they are with their online usage – they understand the benefits of having their behaviour tracked and profiled and welcome customer loyalty schemes that reward their personal shopping habits with discounts individually tailored.  Consumers no longer see personalisation as a threat to their personal privacy, but as a way of deriving convenience and saving time, as well as money," said Tim Norman, Sales Director of Northern Europe.

"Online businesses need to sit up and take notice.  Organisations in the current climate are fighting to hold on to their customers – enriching the customer database to enable better communication with their target audience in a highly personalised manner will help build a relationship by understanding the prospective customer’s preferences and interests.  It’s the golden rule of business – know your customer. In the online world, this means personalisation, relevancy and real-time offers," said Stephen Belgrave, Senior Projects Manager (E-Commerce) at Butlins.

Key highlights from the research include:

• The recession has prompted 30% of internet users to shop online more often than they did previously
• When browsing content or shopping online, three quarters of Internet users (74%) value customer loyalty schemes that offer discounts based on their personal shopping habits more highly than other features
• 51% of Internet users say that their decision of where to shop online would be swayed by a vendor offering a customer loyalty scheme
• Almost half of internet users think it is important that websites email them with updates on products or services that cater to their specific preferences or interests (47%) and a similar proportion (45%) would like to see suggestions for other products or services of interest whilst they are browsing
• 84% of Internet users say they would be less likely to visit websites that hit them with unsolicited and unwanted information like pop-ups and emails
• In 2009, two thirds (66%) of Internet users expect to view content specific to their interests and needs.  Furthermore, 41% say that they would be more inclined to shop online with a vendor that allowed them to create a personal shopping profile that stored information on browsing habits and purchases
• 30% of internet users consider consistency to be important, expressing dissatisfaction with the inconsistent look and feel of company websites, emails, blogs and forums

Download the SDL Tridion 'What the Customer Wants' Survey 2009 results.