As the pandemic unfolded and the effects on e-commerce began to rise, ChannelAdvisor realised that, to fully understand what was happening in our industry, it would be necessary to measure the impact in real-time. So we partnered with leading global research firm Dynata to conduct periodic global surveys of online consumers and monitor changing behaviour.
What we’ve found, so far, is significant differences in several areas. And it’s becoming clear that these changes will linger, to a varying degree, and will continue to shape the industry far into the future.
Most recently, we checked in with 1,000 consumers in Australia (a part of a total of 5,000 consumers across the globe) in August to find out what their perspectives are and what their outlook is on the future.
What Shoppers Are Thinking
Shoppers are shopping online more frequently than before the pandemic (55%) and are feeling increasingly confident in their online shopping activities (33%). Overall, more than one-third of consumers indicated they’ve bought one or more products online that they hadn’t purchased online before the pandemic.
And while several of the areas discussed in the survey revealed insights, such as where products are being discovered and what factors most influenced shoppers during their buying journey, perhaps the most interesting results come to the surface when the responses are analysed by demographic.
For example, 76% of 26 to 35-year-olds indicated price was the biggest influence in their purchasing decisions — but 18 to 25 year-olds cited reviews as one of the biggest influences on their purchase (59%). Sixty percent of 18- to 25-year-olds have “discovered” the products they purchased on social media sites.
What Shoppers Are Planning
Ultimately, all signs point to growth in e-commerce activity into the future. As emergency measures initially forced many into online shopping, those tentative steps into online purchasing morphed over time into ingrained habits of convenience. Now 49% of consumers plan to shop more often online into the future.
Want to learn more? Check out our infographic below that summarises several findings from our most recent survey results.
