A new survey conducted by Epitca has revealed that a fifth of consumers in the UK believe that it is very hard to locate specific details about products and services they are seeking via safe shopping online, with retailers being blamed for poorly designed sites.

In the same study carried out in 2014, the level of dissatisfaction with on-site information was at seven per cent, suggesting that either there has been a decline in the quality of e-commerce outlets in the past 12 months, or more likely, that the growing number of people shopping online has caused expectations to increase.

The report also found that 20 per cent of shoppers have yet to begin their spending spree to prepare for Christmas, with many Brits famously fond of doing everything at the last minute. And with the convenience of safe shopping online, it is easier than ever to get in an order for much needed items, without much time to spare before December 25th.

A growing number of shoppers were found to be using their mobile devices while in-store to look up item information and actually make purchases online. Fourteen per cent said that they usually made a purchase at the site operated by the retailer whose store they were visiting at the time, while 13 per cent said that they often chose to buy from a rival retailer while in-store, because the price was cheaper elsewhere.

Retailers face an interesting challenge when it comes to providing product information on their websites. It may be necessary to get across all the details provided by the manufacturer, so that consumers get the whole picture, but this has to be done in an original and engaging way, in order to avoid duplication occurring, which is perhaps why some upset is being caused.