Half of online shoppers dissatisfied with purchase

Nearly half of online shoppers have purchased an item on the web that they were dissatisfied with when it actually arrived.

According to a survey of 2,314 UK online consumers, static images of products are often not enough to give the buyer the full information they need to be satisfied with their purchase.

Cheat Sheets

♦ Web 2.0
♦ Mash-ups

The research was carried out on behalf of web video specialist vzaar.com, which allows eBay sellers to insert video shot with a digital camera, mobile phone or video camera onto their listings.

Not surprisingly, the research shows 52 per cent of the sample said seeing video of a product would make them more likely to buy it.

One in 10 said they would be willing to pay a premium on the product to see it on video before buying.

The site will be running a series of controlled eBay auctions in 2008 to define exactly how much more people are willing to pay on top of the purchase price to see video clips.

Founder of vzaar.com and chief geek [sic] Adrian Sevitz said in a statement: "In the busy Christmas period, innovative use of video could really help sites stand out from the competition, encourage trust amongst customers and maximise their profits."