New Data Reveals the Top Digital Pain Points Shoppers Experience on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Survey finds that e-commerce will reign during holidays, highlights frustrations that prompt cart abandonment

NEW YORK – New data from Glassbox, the leading provider of digital experience analytics for web and mobile applications, uncovered shoppers’ key preferences and frustrations when shopping online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The survey, which polled 2,004 US and UK consumers, found that seamless, glitch-free digital experiences are essential to attracting shoppers, gaining sales and earning peak revenue during the holiday mega-sales. 

Gone are the days of Black Friday stampedes at big box stores. 70% of Black Friday shoppers shared that they will primarily be shopping online, meaning retailers need to be maintaining a quality customer experience across mobile and web.

UK and American consumers surveyed agreed on the top pain points on digital platforms. Retailers may be able to reduce losses by proactively attending to the following on Black Friday and Cyber Monday:

• Shoppers reported the following as having the biggest negative impact on their online shopping experience: difficult to navigate website or app, slow page load times, excessive pop-ups and page errors [HTTP 500, 404].
• The top three reasons shoppers abandon their carts when shopping online on Black Friday or Cyber Monday are:
  • Excessive upselling/pop-ups and technical errors/website performance issues
  • Shipping
  • High additional costs (i.e. taxes)

“Our findings highlight how technical issues on retailers’ digital platforms can affect earnings on the biggest shopping days of the year,” said Yaron Morgenstern, CEO, Glassbox. “The results also demonstrate the growth of consumer e-commerce preferences, which are overtaking in-person retail experiences in popularity. By understanding pain points around major sale days and addressing the needs of their online customers, retailers can prevent cart abandonment, and more importantly, they can create tailored digital experiences that build a loyal, delighted customer base.”

Additional insights from the survey include:

• Spending habits are returning to pre-pandemic levels – 55% of respondents who are planning to shop on Black Friday/Cyber Monday report that they plan on spending the same amount that they did prior to the pandemic.
• “Great deals” is the #1 draw for UK and US customers – 51% of respondents who are planning to shop on Black Friday/Cyber Monday report available discounts as the top reason they choose one retailer over another.
• The majority of shoppers research products in advance of major sales – Of those planning to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, 70% of US residents and 60% of UK shoppers reported doing advanced research on products they’re planning to purchase. Retailers’ digital platforms must be prepared for advanced traffic.

Glassbox currently supports a trillion web and mobile journeys annually for some of the world’s largest retailers. With a focus on digital experience, Glassbox will closely monitor customer pain points and e-commerce trends during upcoming major holiday sales and beyond. 

Survey Methodology:

Glassbox’s 2021 Holiday Retail Survey polled over 2,000 individuals over the age of 18 in the United States and United Kingdom. The survey was conducted throughout October 2021 using a third-party survey platform.