Online shopping is about a lot, fast and cheap
We are buying more and more, it must be easy and fast, and it must be advantageous. The laptop and desktop are still number one in online shopping, but mobile is hardly used less. The biggest annoyances are high shipping costs and long delivery times. And the chatbot? Not everyone is equally enthusiastic. These are some of the facts from the recently released new edition of 'What's Happening Online' (WHO). This annual survey is an initiative of market research agency Ruigrok NetPanel, which focuses on research into the shopping experience and customer journey.
It is the twelfth time in a row that Ruffle skirt NetPanel publishes the study. It does not contain earth-shattering news, but the results do provide an adequate picture of online trends and especially of the state of affairs in the Ecommerce sector. It is rosy. Almost everyone in the Netherlands (94%) has converted to online shopping. Because retailers make online shopping ever easier and increasingly support the customer journey, we buy more, more and more. We 'shop till we drop', say the reporters from Ruigrok NetPanel.
Mobile shopping is increasing spectacularly
The laptop and desktop are still popular with online shopping, however M-commerce is rapidly gaining ground. The use of the smartphone is increasing spectacularly, from 14% in 2015 to 44% in 2018/2019. This is a development that you as a merchant should take into account. If your webshop is not mobile-optimized, you will lose ground. The millennials (23-37 years) are at the forefront of smartphone use. Of them, 69% indicates that they place an online order with their smartphone at least once a month. Mobile online shopping is also increasing rapidly among other generations.
Much, fast and cheap. Those are, again, the most characteristic wishes of the online consumer. To start with 'advantageous': the price / quality ratio is decisive in the choice of webshops and customer loyalty. Dutch online shoppers also like promotions and discounts. They are also very critical of the shipping costs. They must be in good proportion to the purchase amount. (High) Shipping costs are the biggest annoyance. At all ages.
Biggest annoyances when shopping online
Furthermore, consumers who shop online especially value ease of ordering and speed of delivery. Especially 'digi-teenagers' (14-22 years) are impatient. They drop out on long delivery times and seek refuge elsewhere if the product of their choice is not in stock. If an article is delivered later than promised, it will cause annoyance. Speaking of annoyance, it is mainly the millennials who are extremely critical of the course of the ordering and buying process during online shopping. Can they not determine the delivery time themselves? They're gone. Extra costs for a certain method of payment? How do you get it in your head as an online retailer!
The researchers also asked about experiences with the chatbot entering the online shopping environment. The replacement of the real customer service employee is not yet getting too good critical acclaim. More than half of the respondents had experience with it before. They are not to write home about. Chatbots still function poorly and rarely know the real answer to your question. Many online shoppers (44%) find the electronic service representative an impoverishment of the customer experience. Contact with real people is preferred. Also during online shopping.
What's Happening Online 2019 - the twelfth edition - confirms what we already knew, but it is good to see that again in numbers: Ecommerce is flourishing. Online shopping has penetrated every generation and is still increasing. With the millennials as the most intensive and critical customer and the rapid rise of mobile shopping. Ease of use, speed, low delivery costs and good service are important success factors for all generations. Online shopping is increasing, but so is the competition. It is therefore advisable to take the wishes and whims of the consumer into account keep charting which is decisive for your specific target group.
