Electrocomponents plc : RS Components eCommerce website addresses common failings of pan-European B2B websites

Independent survey finds first-class online experience trumps customer loyalty

Oxford, UK, 18 January 2012 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has revealed that its new eCommerce website is meeting customers' online expectations where most pan-European B2B websites fail. A recent independent survey commissioned by RS showed that the majority of B2B customers will switch to a competitive site if they are on a slow or unreliable website.

Today's customers expect the same experience on B2B websites as they do on consumer sites, in particular a fast response that gives relevant and timely information. The independent survey of 350 B2B website users in the UK, France, Germany and Italy was conducted to understand their expectations. The results highlight that the new RS eCommerce website has addressed all the common failings of B2B websites.

A key finding was that website performance trumps customer loyalty every time, with two thirds of the sample having no qualms about switching allegiance to a competitive site and over a third being less likely to make a purchase if a website is performing poorly. Moreover, nearly a quarter of the sample would switch to an alternative website straight away. This illustrates the damage a poor B2B website can do to a company's revenues and brand.

The survey found that two of the main bugbears of poorly performing websites are a slow response and a lack of relevant content. These were the main focus of the recent transformation of the RS website, with a new intelligent product search feature and superior browsing capability giving customers faster and easier access to over 550,000 products.

Keith Reville, General Manager eCommerce at Electrocomponents, said: "We want to ensure that RS customers enjoy the best and most relevant online experience. These results highlight the importance of providing a fast website with a superb search function that delivers accurate, relevant information to users first time, every time. These cornerstones of our eCommerce strategy are helping us to elevate the online customer experience of our sector to the best levels of any industry, as evidenced by our recent awards in this space."

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About RS Components
RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products. Through operations in 32 countries and 17 warehouses, the Group serves 1.6 million customers worldwide and distributes 550,000 products ranging from semiconductors and optoelectronics to power tools and protective clothing. The product and service portfolio supports the entire product lifecycle from R&D through pre-production to maintenance and repair. The Group ships more than 46,000 parcels on the same day the orders are received.

Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year to 31 March 2011 had revenues of £1.18bn.

Editorial contact
Lynn Webster-Scott
Head of Group PR
Electrocomponents plc
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]