60 percent of US customers have created, used accounts to shop online since October, 2014 - report

In fact, 47% said they create online accounts because it is quicker and easier to shop, according to the 2015 Online Payment Journey report issued by the payments services provider Worldpay. The survey questioned more than 3,500 consumers across North America, South America, EMEA and APAC, as well as an analysis of 350 retail websites.

“Consumers are the new point-of-sale, controlling when and where they shop, and how they pay,” said Worldpay US President and CEO Tony Catalfano. “To win the sale, retailers must deliver the buying experience their customers want, which is increasingly multi-channel and often starts at the homepage. Consumers will take their business to retailers that best cater to their preferences.”

Online shoppers want to pay their way. US shoppers want to know how they can pay from the homepage and seeing payment information clearly on a website has a strong influence on their decision to buy:

• 48% of online shoppers say they would be more encouraged to buy when they see payments logos on the homepage.
• 64% of shoppers would not continue the purchase if the payment methods displayed at the checkout were not consistent with those displayed on the homepage.
• More than one-third of shoppers (38%) would drop out of the checkout if a payment error occurred, and nearly half would abandon their purchase if asked for the same details more than once. Sharing data policies can help boost customer confidence. Data protection is a top concern at nearly every stage of the online buying process for American consumers:
• 50% of shoppers would be encouraged to create an online account if specifically told how their data may or may not be used by the retailer.
• A quarter (25%) of consumers surveyed said they would abandon a purchase over serious security concerns if redirected to a third-party site to complete the payment.
• 68% of those surveyed said the ability to see payment authentication and digital certificate logos makes them feel more secure. Shoppers value informative updates, online support tools While the majority of shoppers first seek out information about a purchase on the FAQ page, US shoppers also rely on a wider variety of support tools:
• Nearly four in five (79%) shoppers in the US said they read messages about what will happen next in the transaction, and 59% said this information is “very important” to them.
• The top three go-to sources for payment-related queries are: the FAQ section (60%), telephone customer service (43%) and live chat (38%).
• 76% of consumers surveyed said it is “very important” to receive a confirmation email post-purchase.