Europeans have fallen in love with e-shopping
Europeans have not only increased their e-shopping, but they promise not to give up their new habits even after the pandemic is over. After beating COVID-19, 9 out of 10 people will stay with online shopping, according to McKinsey special report.
As many as 92% of respondents of the McKinsey study “European consumer sentiment during the coronavirus crisis” declare that when it comes to online shopping they will not change anything in their habits in 2021. And we are talking here about a really sizable group. As many as 94% of respondents use this form of purchasing goods. This is an important clue for business.
– We are talking about enormous power, but the effect of scale alone is not everything. Not only has the number of people buying online increased, but so has the conversion rate. This is one of the most important parameters in the world of commerce, showing the real relationship between intention and purchase decision – explains Aleksandra Szarmach, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer from Nethansa, a Sopot-based startup that brings Polish companies to Amazon, where he comprehensively manages their sales. – According to an analysis by Digital Commerce 360, conversion rates increased by about one-third during the pandemic – adds Szarmach.
Change drives change
What’s more, as experts of an American analytical company have verified, even when the pandemic is over, in all major categories customers plan to spend more money on shopping. Considering only tangible items, segments such as consumer electronics will gain the most (up 54 p.p.), articles for animals (42 p.p.), supplementation (41 p.p.) and children’s accessories and toys (39 p.p.).
Certainly this state of affairs is influenced by the paradigm shift in work and life. Approximately ⅓ of respondents (36%) to the survey admitted that in the past 12 months, there has been a change in their life, work or school related (e.g. they work from home more often).
Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, 24% of Europeans surveyed do not plan to return to their old pre-lockdown habits and intend to leave their current office in favor of working from home.
– Remote working has become more popular among employees. Half of McKinsey Future of Work survey respondents say they want to work at least 3 days remotely in the future. 25% of those who are determined say that failure to meet this demand will result in a change of workplace. Naturally this will resonate with commerce, once again e-commerce will be the beneficiary of the changes. And let’s not forget that driving home from work is one of the most popular ways to shop – according to Aleksandra Szarmach of Nethansa.
Goodbye to tradition
McKinsey research has also shown that since the beginning of the pandemic, as many as 67% of respondents from the Old Continent were willing to experiment with new shopping opportunities. Most, 36%, have changed their online store or website where they order goods, but more importantly, 78% said that even when the pandemic is over, they will still try new things.
– According to a report by the United Nations, last year alone, the share of e-commerce in global retail trade increased by more than one fifth – says Aleksandra Szarmach and adds: – It’s the last call for business to join the transformation. This is a great time to take advantage of the launch of the Polish branch of the Amazon platform. World’s largest marketplace reaches 150 million Prime subscription users, one of the most popular subscription services in the world.
Multichannel sales should be the goal for companies primarily for 2021, but also for years to come.
The customer must be “taken care of”
Online retailers are also trying new things, only they’re trying them to optimize sales. Amazon’s entry into the Polish market means that small e-shops will have it even harder than a few months ago. – Today, it is not enough just to refresh the portal and add a bookmark to facilitate online shopping. Websites have to be created in an intuitive way, and the seller should anticipate the buyer’s movements – says Wiktor Salamon, the creator of Notipack, software that allows website administrators to send notifications to people browsing the internet for a given good or service.
Salamon also argues that owners of smaller e-commerce stores have tools at their disposal to help them stay competitive. – When buying goods in large marketplaces, we immediately see that a given assortment is popular. We can check reviews and among hundreds of similar products we can quickly choose the cheapest. In the case of smaller stores, it looks completely different, but a properly constructed widget, which facilitates contact with the store, makes a discount coupon available or indicates the product rating, may increase the trust to the brand – notes Salamon.
