What customers expect from a corporate website

Particularly in demand on company websites are opening hours, price lists, contact options, exact addresses and a product overview.Nowadays, many people inform themselves on the Internet before making a purchase. The demands on the information offered on websites are high. Nine out of ten customers expect to find opening hours online. Price lists and contact details are also in demand. More than half of Germans also expect a map showing how to get there. Greven Medien found this out in a representative GfK survey, which asked specifically about smaller businesses, such as a doctor's practice, restaurant or retail store. An informative and structured online presence is therefore highly relevant. If the website is missing altogether, the company is seen as not up to date (48.1 %), and in the worst case even as unprofessional (25.4 %).The online world is increasingly influencing people's buying behavior. The best products are of no use if a company presents itself incompletely online. Greven Medien's representative GfK survey shows that customers have precise ideas about what information should be found online. Nine out of ten people search the Internet for opening hours (91.7 %). Regardless of gender, age or income, opening hours are the most frequently requested information, because no one wants to stand in front of closed doors. Germans also like to find out about the prices of products in advance (79.1 %). Price awareness is particularly pronounced among 14- to 19-year-olds. 96 percent in this age group search for prices online. This figure is already 17 percent lower among 20 to 29-year-olds, and even 20 percent lower among the 50+ age group. It is also striking that price awareness among women seems to be more pronounced than among men. While price lists are the second most important criterion for women (83.5 %), they only follow in fifth place for men (75.1 %). Households with three, four or more persons also pay particularly close attention to expected costs, with values above 80 percent.Contact desiredIn addition to opening hours or price lists, customers also attach importance to being able to contact a company. Concrete contact data or even a contact form (77.3 %) and exact address data (77.2 %) are therefore in demand. An overview of the product or service portfolio also attracts potential customers to the business more quickly (76.7 %). This is particularly crucial for companies in large cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. At least 80 percent of people living in large cities enquire about services and products on the website (81.1 %). If companies are transparent online about their offerings, they make it easier for customers to make a decision before they buy.The website as a digital shop windowThe website is not only used for hard facts, but also to get an idea of the company. More than half of customers want to find pictures of the products and services (57.6 %) or photos and videos of the company itself (40.0 %) on the website. Reviews also play an important role (29.7 %), reflecting the customer's experience of previous customers. Customer confidence can be built up, for example, by references on the company website. Just under a third of Germans, and women in particular (36.9 percent), rely on this. Links to social media channels should not be underestimated. Customers can thus be redirected straight away to Facebook and Co. "The website is the digital business card of today and is now taken for granted. In particular, it should be well maintained. Small and medium-sized enterprises should not misjudge this," explains Patrick Hünemohr, Managing Director of Greven Medien. The Cologne-based company specializes in local marketing and its GfK survey shows that companies can use their website as a digital shop window. If it is missing, every second German considers the company not up to date (48.1 %). "Companies that do without a website are accepting a loss of image," Hünemohr sums up.