US consumers want to find what they’re looking for easily when online shopping, and say delivery should be quick and free of charge, the findings of a new report show.
According to Consumer View, a new quarterly report on consumer behaviour by the National Retail Federation (NRF), whether shopping in-store or online, consumers are typically seeking to buy a certain item rather than just browsing, with 73% of those surveyed saying that’s the case with stores and 54% online.
“Consumers today want what they want when they want it and they don’t expect to pay a premium to get it fast,” says NRF vice president for research development and industry analysis Mark Mathews. “When they walk into a store they want to find their item, and find it easily, especially if they’ve researched it online beforehand. And whether it’s next-day or pickup in-store, quick delivery of online purchases at little or no extra charge is growing so fast that it’s something shoppers are coming to expect.”
The findings provide important insights for all retailers into consumers’ shopping behaviours and expectations, adds Mathews who notes “reliable research is important because retailers who want to be here tomorrow need to meet consumer demands today and anticipate needs in the future.”
Of those surveyed, 58% rated being able to find what they want quickly and easily, either in-store or online, as their top factor in determining where to shop. Meanwhile, shopping “just to browse” has shifted to being more popular online (for 46% of those surveyed) than in stores (27%).
Among those shopping online, 68% expect free shipping even on purchases of less than US$50, with 47% saying they typically back out if shipping isn’t free. And 38% expect two-day shipping to be free while 24% expect free same-day shipping.
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By GlobalData“Retailers are literally racing to consumers’ doorsteps to meet rising expectations,” Mathews explains.
The quality of customer service is also a top factor in deciding where to shop, cited by 44%, along with speed and simplicity of checkout (42%) and the ability to try out products (20%). Consumers said their overall experience with a brand or retailer is important in determining which to buy from and how often (79% each) and how loyal or connected they feel (77%).
In addition, the survey found 59% of consumers are interested in special events retailers hold to draw customers into stores or onto websites, including the ability to try out products, exclusive access to sales, demonstrations and product tutorials. Millennials are particularly enthusiastic about special events – 44% said they were “very interested” compared with 25% of consumers overall. And Millennial men (60%) were more likely to be “very” interested than Millennial women (28%).
Meanwhile, fewer than a third of consumers were aware of technological innovations such as 3D printing or making purchases through social media (29% each), in-app store navigation (28%), in-store digital displays (25%) or retail messaging apps and online chat (24%). But among those that were, messaging apps and chat were the technology that had most often been tried (65%) while in-app store navigation was most-cited as improving the shopping experience (63%).
