Specialist e-commerce 'wins on service'

Online retailers providing specialist products are the most successful in the field of consumer relations, a new study suggests.

Consumer watchdog Which? polled 5,710 people about their e-commerce habits and the websites they rated highest for customer service.

Independent book etailerAbeBooks emerged top in the entertainment category, scoring 89 per cent in a dead heat with DVD and CD site Play.com for client satisfaction.

Meanwhile, underwear etailer figleaves.com was the top-rated in the clothes category, with respondents highlighting its range, usability and ordering procedures as particularly positive aspects.

Editor Jess Ross noted that price was not the most important factor for many people shopping on the internet.

"It was really interesting to see that it was the specialist shopping websites, like AbeBooks, Play.com and figleaves.com, that came out top in our survey - it appears that you can't put a price on customer service," she said.

Phil Gates, marketing director of internet optician Glasses Direct, recently told E-consultancy that consumer interest in internet insurance bodes well for the web optometry sector.

This news story was brought to you by Bluhalo, a leading UK digital agency.