Study: Consumers do their e-commerce homework

When it comes to e-commerce, consumers aren’t afraid to do a little homework.

According to the 2015 Digital Consumer Preferences Survey from digital commerce solution provider BrandShop, 96% of consumers feel research is a crucial step in making an e-commerce purchase.

Almost six in 10 (58%) respondents start their product search on Google, and 22% go directly a brand’s website. Third-party retailers such as Amazon came in third with 14% usage.

However, a significant portion of online sales are occurring through third-party retailers, with 78% of respondents making frequent purchases on Amazon. Another 47% make purchases from e-commerce retailers, while 37% purchase directly from a brand, 24% shop on eBay and 7% use classified sites.

When visiting a brand’s site, 82% of consumers expect to be able to complete a purchase without leaving the site and 88% would like to have this functionality. Only 37% of respondents actually make purchase directly from brand sites, suggesting a discrepancy in site functionality.