More than 80 percent of consumers in a new survey from ecommerce platform BigCommerce have purchased from Amazon’s marketplace in the past six months, compared to 65 percent who have made an in-store purchase from any retailer. That alone is reason enough for brands and businesses to strive to better understand the role that online and offline channels play in customers’ purchase journey.
BigCommerce’s new 2018 Omnichannel Buying Report examines survey responses of nearly 3,000 digital consumers, and concludes that convenience, selection and data privacy are top of mind for digital shoppers.
According to the study, one of every three dollars of monthly discretionary income is now spent online, but the relationship between online and offline channels is far more nuanced. Thirty-nine percent of consumer respondents visited a brand’s website before making a purchase in a physical retail store, and 33 percent will attempt to price match the product online.
Do brands truly understand how omnichannel works?
“The retail industry has been throwing around the term ‘omnichannel’ for years, and while we’ve seen a handful of strong use cases, merchants are still struggling to create a true cross-channel experience that addresses the evolving behavior of their consumers,” said Jimmy Duvall, chief product officer at BigCommerce, in a news release. “Our hope is that by providing merchants with a deeper context of how consumers are actually shopping today, we’re better equipping them with both the tools and the knowledge to create experiences that drive conversion and continued loyalty.”
The results of the study emphasize that brands can no longer afford a single-channel retail experience and increasingly must make products available across multiple digital and offline channels where consumers are shopping.
Key global findings from the report include:
The “Amazon Effect” is increasing in ecommerce
Four out of five consumers made a purchase on Amazon in the last six months, compared to only 65 percent that bought something in a physical store. Even more telling of Amazon’s impact in the retail ecosystem is the influence Amazon Prime’s fast and free shipping promise has had on ecommerce behavior. Eighteen percent of global respondents cite shipping costs as their least favorite aspect of online shopping, with another 15 percent of respondents citing waiting for the product to arrive.
The ability to convey value overcomes pricing hurdles
Respondents no longer see price as the primary reason to shop on Amazon, with 28 percent of consumers preferring the site’s convenience to its low prices. In addition, brands are doing a better job of using product imagery, descriptions, and customer reviews to convey a product’s value, which is encouraging customers to make more purchases on the brand’s website even if the product is available for less somewhere else.
Data privacy remains a major concern—but not at the expense of convenience
Today’s consumers expect data collection to be part of their online shopping experience. Seventy percent of consumers would opt out of having their data collected if given the option, but Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z consumers indicated a willingness to share data with retailers if provided free shipping or product discounts in exchange.
Returns may help bridge gap between online and in-store
Businesses that have a physical store as well as an online one should look to product returns as a sales opportunity. More than half of shoppers expect to return approximately 25 percent of online purchases. While 50 percent of returns are sent via mail, 67 percent of consumers that choose to return in store also browse or shop in the store afterwards, illustrating the value of bricks-and-mortar retail stores in an omnichannel world.
Available payment options matter
Thirty-six percent of global respondents admitted to buying a more expensive option when offered financing at checkout, and another 33 percent confirmed that, without financing, they would not have made the purchase.
Download the full report here.
BigCommerce conducted this survey between August 2 – August 5, 2018, and distributed it to online consumers at least 18 years of age via SurveyMonkey. Survey responses were collected from approximately 3,000 individuals living in Australia, the United Kingdom or the United States.
