Online shoppers across the globe demand more and more from retailers, UPS says

Consumers around the world are increasingly demanding when it comes to their online shoppingexperience, with US consumers being the most satisfied, Europeans slightly less but only 50% of

Conducted together with the digital data measurement company comScore, the ‘UPS Pulse of theOnline Shopper’ study contains key elements that drive brand preference, customer loyalty andword-of-mouth recommendations. It includes data from regional surveys of more than 14,000 frequentonline shoppers in the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and Mexico.

According to the results, consumers want more information when they start shopping online, moreoptions during checkout and delivery, and more communication channels for interacting with theirfavourite retailers. Other important needs of online shoppers include a simple returns process,free shipping, social and mobile access, the study revealed.

In regional terms, US shoppers turned out to be the most satisfied with online shoppingexperiences at 83%, followed by Europe (78%) while consumers in the Asia Pacific are leastsatisfied with only 50%.

The study found creating a mobile app can help prevent comparison shopping in all markets,especially in Mexico and Europe. Global consumers are connected to social media channels and areopen to promotions from retailers. Liking a brand through Facebook is most common in Asia (81%) andMexico (76%) but least common in Europe. The majority of shoppers in Asia and Europe (79%) preferto access retailers through mobile or digital channels, while more than one third of shoppers inCanada and Australia prefer to shop in-store.

“This study highlights the critical three Cs of today’s retail online customer experience –channels, choices and convenience,” Nicolas Dorget, vice president of customer solutions, UPSCanada, said. “Retailers can win shoppers over by providing a consistent and positive omnichannelexperience. From mobile apps to social media platforms, today’s consumers value – and even expect –services to work together across the entire shopping continuum from pre-purchase topost-purchase.”

In Europe, 55% of the consumers surveyed want more flexibility to choose a delivery date while53% prefer improved options for collecting packages at a convenient retail location. Almost allconsumers (96%) consider tracking a purchase essential or nice to have. In-store options are alsoattractive. 41% of European consumers said they would more likely shop with a retailer if theycould buy online and collect the item in-store, while 52% want the ability to buy online and returnitems in-store.

“As consumers in Europe move more of their shopping online, their expectations of what retailersshould offer continue to grow. These consumers expect online retailers to provide a robust andcomplete omnichannel shopping experience,” said Nick Basford, vice president of Marketing, UPSEurope.

Similar to US shoppers, Canadian consumers trade speed for cost while Asian online shoppers areless patient willing to wait only four days for their purchases to arrive.

In Canada, consumers prefer retailers operating across all channels including in-store, onlineand via mobile devices with 65% of respondents citing the ability to buy online and make returnsin-store as the most important factor while availability of in-store pickup was named the secondmost important aspect by 49%. In addition, simple return policies drive satisfaction and lead torepeated purchases, according to the study. Nearly 50% of Canadian online shoppers surveyed saidthey already returned a product purchase online while 65% are willing to shop more with a retailerproviding smooth returns service.

In Mexico, the mobile market is growing rapidly with 77% of online shoppers owning a smartphoneand 46% owning a tablet.

With 650 million internet users, Asia has the world’s largest online population with more thanhalf of them being younger than 35 years old. According to recent studies, these consumers aredriving e-commerce growth in the Asia Pacific region which is outpacing the rest of the world. Whatleads to the particularly low satisfaction with online shopping experience in this region is thelack of choice between delivery dates and times, collection of purchased goods at a convenientretail location and exchange or returns policies.

“Asia’s consumers are seeking multiple access channels, a variety of shipping choices andpost-purchase convenience,” Michael Mclary, UPS director of Enterprise Segmentation and ProductStrategy for the Asia Pacific region, said. “Mobile strategy has become a cornerstone for retailerswith the growing popularity of an integrated online shopping experience. Through our survey, it isclear there is room for retailers to improve their services. By differentiating themselves withconsumer-driven supply chain strategies, they can drive customer loyalty and expand globally.”

Susan Engleson, comScore senior director, concluded: “Consumers in Europe and across the globehave a growing number of digital touch points, with more ways to stay connected with their favoriteonline retailers through every phase of the shopping, buying and fulfilment process. What will setapart one retailer from another in a competitive marketplace is how well they meet the rapidlyevolving needs and expectations of customers.”