Although you might think that consumers and the companies that provide them with the opportunity to shop online would have e-commerce expectations that correlate with one another, in reality this is not the case.

A new report from Sitecore has revealed that consumers and retailers have different ideas about what is important when it comes to the e-commerce experience. And this divergence perhaps explains why sometimes people can be dissatisfied when shopping online.

For consumers, one of the most important facets of a site is the information it provides, which must be up to date and accurate, in order to appease them. This is understandable, given that many millions of Brits rely on the internet to provide them with product information.

Shoppers also consider it important for a site to offer them a level of information on products which is useful, without being overbearing. Striking this balance is clearly difficult, which is why many retailers offer two tiers of coverage for products, so that a simple overview is accompanied by a more in-depth look at the features and functions.

A quarter of the respondents to the study who expressed a high level of satisfaction with sites offering shopping online, said that their biggest desire when using the web to buy items was to have a more personalised experience.

Meanwhile, the people behind creating and promoting e-commerce sites said that making sure that an online shop is accessible and legible on mobile and tablet devices is a top priority, above all else. This recognises the overarching trend of consumers using their portable gadgets to browse for bargains, if not necessarily adhering to the top desires of individual buyers.

Clearly, companies have to do their best to please the largest swathe of the population, but it is interesting to see how priorities can differ.