Login and password troubles revealed

Increasingly lengthy and complex log-in processes and web forms are driving consumers away from websites, according to Ping Identity.

The study revealed that an overwhelming 80% of consumers had locked themselves out of websites because they couldn’t remember their log-in details.

This is hardly surprising as nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents had log-ins for up to five websites, while an equal number juggled six to ten websites and almost a third (30%) face the logistical feat of remembering log-ins for between 11 and 20 websites. As a result of this “password amnesia’, nearly 50% of consumers have had to re-set a password, with over a fifth (21%) having to do so on a regular basis.

The online frustration doesn’t stop with passwords though. With 71%, the majority of people have abandoned a “fill in your details’ form. For 77% of these, entering the details into the form simply took too long, while 58% left the site because the form was too detailed.

Over half of respondents gave up on a website because the form demanded information they didn’t have to hand, while almost a fifth were frustrated because the company didn’t remember their details from their last interaction with them.

“With more than half of respondents logging into an online shopping site with a password up to five times a day, this login barrier could cost businesses dearly,” said Andrew Hindle, Director at Ping Identity. “Loyalty is dead – if e-tailers lose a customer at a critical point in sale, they are unlikely to ever return. In this competitive environment, amidst uncertain economic conditions, e-tailers need to make the registration and payment process as seamless as possible for customers – or risk that they will take their custom elsewhere. By deploying systems that center on a prospective customer’s identity and recognise returning customers to give them quick and easy access, e-tailers can avoid the mass exodus and allow both their businesses and their customers to truly reap the benefits of the web.”