High Anxiety in the Post-Purchase Experience

What feeling do you get when you purchase something online? If it is any level of anxiety, know that you're not alone.

According to the State of Post-Purchase Experience Report published by post-purchase experience platform Narvar recently, shoppers are increasingly frustrated or anxious with online purchases and express concerns about damaged packages, on-time delivery, returns and more after they click buy. Almost half of shoppers (49 percent) worry about their package being damaged while in transit, and 42 percent of shoppers don't trust that the package will arrive on time.

"Shopping today can feel like a lot of work, and no longer delivers that sense of wonder or excitement it once had. This study shows that after people purchase is a critical time for brands to make sure the experience is completely effortless," says Amit Sharma, CEO of Narvar. "When done right, savvy retailers will be able inspire greater customer loyalty and repeat sales as a result."

What Narvar found in its study is that shoppers are holding all retailers (including Amazon) to high standards, demanding effortless and engaging experiences. The report revealed that:

+ Both high-frequency and infrequent Amazon shoppers share the same preferences for post-purchase experience, spanning delivery expectations, returns process and communication channels.

+ Having an item arrive on time is the No. 1 thing people said would make them a repeat customer of a brand, with 72 percent of people saying this would be a contributing factor.

+ After getting an item on time, the next thing people care about most is being able to return it easily, with 70 percent of consumers saying an easy return or exchange is likely to make them a repeat customer.