Longer and complex log-in processes and web forms are driving consumers away from websites, it is claimed. Some four-fifths, 80pc of consumers had locked themselves out of websites because they couldn’t remember their log-in details. This is hardly surprising as nearly a quarter (24pc) of respondents had log-ins for up to five websites, while an equal number juggled six to ten websites and almost a third (30pc) face the logistical feat of remembering log-ins for between 11 and 20 websites. As a result of this ‘password amnesia’, nearly half of consumers have had to re-set a password, with over a fifth (21pc) having to do so on a regular basis.
The online frustration doesn’t stop with passwords though. With 71 per cent, the majority of people have abandoned a ‘fill in your details’ form. For 77pc of these, entering the details into the form simply took too long, while 58pc left the site because the form was too detailed. Over half of respondents gave up on a website because the form demanded information they didn’t have to hand, while almost a fifth were frustrated because the company didn’t remember their details from their last interaction with them.
Andrew Hindle, Director at Ping Identity, said: “With more than half of respondents logging into an online shopping site with a password up to five times a day, this login barrier could cost businesses dearly. Loyalty is dead – if e-tailers lose a customer at a critical point in sale, they are unlikely to ever return. In this competitive environment, amidst uncertain economic conditions, e-tailers need to make the registration and payment process as seamless as possible for customers – or risk that they will take their custom elsewhere. By deploying systems that center on a prospective customer’s identity and recognise returning customers to give them quick and easy access, e-tailers can avoid the mass exodus and allow both their businesses and their customers to truly reap the benefits of the web.”
