What 10,000 online shoppers reveal in survey

10,000 Europeans reveal their online shopping habits & expectations

We’ve now been in lockdown for a year but with the good news that we are moving towards a way out and some kind of freedom again!

So time to look towards the future and understand what economic and cultural shifts will change our behaviour and signpost business trends we should all be aware of.

Retail Week’s webinar about the future shape of e-commerce, explored UPS’s latest survey, asking 10,000 European customers how they were planning to shop in 2021 and what this means for online retailers.

Thanks to Arthur Lam, Head of European Marketing at UPS, Dimple Patel, COO at Trouva, Karthikeyan Harith, Wolf & Badger COO and Ebay UK trading director Kumaran Adithyan for sharing their predictions and insights.

Let’s start with the inevitable lockdown effect and how it’s expected to manifest shopping habits this year. Overall, the UPS survey shared that consumers are expecting to spend less. However, the UK leads the world in online shopping and the panel all agreed this only looks to increase.

According to the survey, online shopping in the UK is expected to rise by 67% in 2021.

Kumaran from Ebay shared a change in shopping trends, geared more towards value purchases such as refurbished electronics. He doesn’t expect this trend to change too much this year. Refurbished printer sales are up by 300% and two preloved items were sold every second on Ebay in 2020. A focus on domestic purchases will continue as UK customers are preparing for a Summer at home. Consequently there’s been a 100% spike in hot tub sales!

Dimple Patel from Trouva, an online platform that supports independent boutiques, agrees that a move towards home decor items has been significant, coupled with a trend for comfort wear and a move away from disposable fashion culture.

Purchasers are looking for longer term value. Conscious consumerism is taking a lead in the way shoppers say they want to shop.

The UPS survey shares that customers want retailers to be more sustainable, particularly in the way products are packaged. Eco friendly products are key to Wolf & Badger and a new sustainability badge helps customers navigate towards the kind of products they want to purchase.

The importance of a seamless customer experience has a high value for European customers. The panel believe this expectation applies in multiple ways from delivering a seamless customer experience to a collaborative connection between online and offline experiences. Each platform must support the other. But it’s important to remember the customer experience doesn’t end at checkout. 85% of respondents say reliable delivery is key for them.

With choice, control and convenience being 3 of the most important factors in online shopping, retailers have their work cut out this year.

This UPS survey maps out what European customers are looking for and you can watch the conversation here.

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