This article was originally published on 8 September, 2011
It’s been reported that poor spelling and grammar could be costing the UK’s internet businesses millions of pounds in lost revenue. Sales figures suggest poor grammar – misspellings in particular – put off consumers, who as a result often end up questioning the credibility of an e-commerce website.
The concerns were raised by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and a leading entrepreneur, who suggested that poor spelling is a serious problem for the online economy.
In an industry where selling and commercial messages take place the majority of the time via written content, these concerns highlight a worrying trend when considering that e-commerce sales in June 2011, were an estimated £560m.
When consumers already have concerns about online fraud and safety, getting the basics right is essential. Online businesses get about six seconds to capture the attention of the visitor. If the lingering impression they get within those six seconds is one of poor spelling, they’re more likely to bounce straight off to a competitor’s site.
William Dutton, director of the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University, says that in some more “social” parts of the internet, such as Facebook, there is greater tolerance towards spelling and grammar errors.
“However, there are other aspects, such as a home page or commercial offering that are not among friends and which raise concerns over trust and credibility,” said Professor Dutton.
“In these instances, when a consumer might be wary of spam or phishing efforts, a misspelt word could be a killer issue.”
Food for thought for every online retailer, we reckon.
