for the fourth consecutive year, nearly 9 out of 10 (87%) online adults who have conducted an online transaction in the past year have experienced problems. Those who experience problems conducting online transactions also reported feeling disappointed (55%), angry (41%), and confused (23%)…41% of online adults who experience transaction problems would switch to a competitor or abandon a transaction entirely. This represents a potential 57 billion dollars (US) impact for shopping sites alone…four in five online adults who experience problems (84%) share their experiences with others — both online and offline.

This last point is at the heart of something I have been advocating more and more recently; measuring the user experience via the ‘back channel’ using social media tools such as Twitter, Technorati and even Google Alerts, to hear what people are saying about your products and services (but not to your face).