Mobile phone retailers in the UK have recently come up against criticism for their online user experience, with only two scores reaching the 50% benchmark in a recent study.

Conducted by Syntagm, the study takes a close look at the websites of 12 mobile phone retailers and has highlighted some interesting points.

Whilst Expansys.co.uk received the highest score (62%) for the overall user experience, across the 12 sites, most retailers received low scores for website persuasion, online support and account management.

A website’s use of persuasion relates to the online features designed to entice consumers to part with more of their money such as cross-selling, up-selling and personalised recommendations.

Interestingly, very few sites remembered the most recently viewed products and services for customers returning to the site whilst scouting around for the best offer, resulting in the highest score awarded to Expansys (28%) with Carphone Warehouse (24%) a close second.

Opportunities were also missed when it came to increasing the value of average order with a limited number of sites advertising ‘other customers also bought’ up-selling methods or showcasing the range of accessories also available for a particular handset.

Only 4 of the 12 sites studied offered customers the ability to manage their account online with services such as an order checking facility and a sales archive.

Similarly, all websites taking part in the study received minimal scores for online support. When it comes to reporting damaged or faulty items, asking questions or returning goods, many customers complained that the online facilities were insufficient to deal with their needs. Expansys and O2 both scored 10% for this section whilst Virgin Mobile scraped 5%, with the rest scoring 0.

With 89% of consumers preferring to shop online for the latest handsets, it seems that online mobile phone retailers have a lot to learn in order to ensure that vital business is not deflected from their website due to poor online service.

Although almost one fifth of consumers are interested in purchasing the iPad, nearly two thirds of Britons have no idea what the iPad is or what it does.

Recent research by TNS Technology has revealed that despite negative coverage around pricing and a well publicised delay in the launch date, nearly one in five people in the UK were still interested in buying the device.

This continued interest further highlights the brand power that Apple has managed to harness over the past few years.

Interestingly, despite the vast coverage that the iPad has received, 65% of people are unable to name any features of the device. This indicates that there is still a very limited understanding of what the new Apple gadget actually offers.

Over the next few months, it will be interesting to see what will happen in terms of competitor activity.

Only time will tell whether or not Apple have been successful in their mission to revolutionise the mobile computing market in the same way in which the iPhone transformed the mobile phone.