A US study of online shopping habits has found that a highly satisfied online shopper is 73 percent more likely to purchase online than a dissatisfied shopper, and 75 percent more likely to recommend a site to a friend. The annual report into customer satisfaction with retail websites by ForeSee Results showed that only 10 of 40 top e-tail sites managed to improve their online shopper satisfaction rating since the previous year's study.

"In a recession, knowing that improving customer satisfaction with your website can engender... loyalty and purchase intent is like money in the bank," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. Prices were a key element of satisfaction for many websites, but overall, improvements to merchandise and functionality have a greater return on investment, according to the study's author. "It's much smarter for the long term to improve satisfaction through web experience improvements than erode brand equity through price cuts," said Freed.