24 online stores in the test - these are the winners
Shortly before Christmas, the search for the right gifts is in full swing. In the eCommerce sector, it's not just about suggesting the perfect gift to the customer, but also about the entire user experience, from the structuring of the product presentation to the shipping options. evecommercean initiative of Carpathia AG for diversity in eCommerce, and the diversity movement We Shape TechIn October and November 2016, the 24 top-selling online stores in Switzerland and Germany were analyzed with regard to the different needs of buyers. Five scenarios of relationships between shoppers and recipients were played out in order to test the diversity of the stores in relation to seven criteria: First impression, search and filter options, product presentation, recommendations, gift options, user experience and goal achievement.
With an average score of 3.66, the generalists achieved the highest score of the three categories, which can be explained by the wide range of products offered by the retailers. Thalia finished ahead of Amazon and Galaxus as the best online store for buying Christmas gifts in the generalist category. Across all categories, Thalia scored the most points for gift options. 
The stores geared towards gifts generally performed better than those geared more specifically towards children. On the one hand, this is due to target achievement. It is obvious that 17-year-old Lukas will find it difficult to find something for his grandparents at a retailer specializing in children's products. On the other hand, providers specializing in gifts offer more assistance in the form of gift finders and good filter options.
Recommendations are generally very weak in this category; weekend4two is the only store to score just over two points in this criterion. This is a shame, because recommendations offer a lot of potential to fill the customer's shopping cart and make them happy at the same time.
There is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to first impressions. The first impression is one of the decisive factors when virtually entering a new store. If the customer does not get the feeling of being in the right place within a fraction of a second, they will leave - and possibly for good.
The entire study is available download here for free.
