Online Retail:

The Online Competition for America's Ears & Thumbs

Online customer experience proves to be an important brand-building tool for major wireless carriers and third-party resellers. But the most important driver for conversion is the ability to quickly and clearly compare phones and plans.

• Wireless prospects and customers rely heavily on the Internet for shopping and managing their accounts.
• Third-party wireless sites, though lesser known, prove to be strong competition for the major carrier sites, primarily because of their ability to compare phones and plans from competing carriers.
• Customer expectations appear to be noticeably higher for sites of the heavily advertised major carriers, and for Amazon, the leading third-party vendor, as indicated by brand impact scores.
• Online wireless prospects most value the ability to easily compare plans and phones, clear site navigation, and a streamlined purchase process.