Survey reveals why consumers don’t like buying gifts online

As the holidays approach, retailers are hoping the convenience and immediacy of e-commerce will prompt high volumes of online gift purchases.



But according to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce, there are some common problems that make consumers hesitate to buy gifts online.



A leading one in four (25%) respondents cited worrying about buying the wrong size, while another roughly one in four (24%) respondents cited worrying about the hassle of returns as the most common reasons they hesitate to buy gifts online. Nearly one in five (18%) respondents cited concern about getting their gift to the recipient on time.



Furthermore, 42% of e-gifts are virtually exchanged before they ship. And more than 60% of e-gifts are considered "hard to gift" items such as apparel, shoes and jewelry, that might not otherwise be purchased for fear of getting it wrong.



Additional concerns about purchasing gifts online from the survey include getting the wrong color, having the price tag show and not having the recipient’s mailing address.



The survey also uncovered gift buying habits by age group and found that while 84% of respondents over age 45 purchase gifts for the December holidays, only 67% of millennial-age respondents do so. Additionally, birthdays (84%) were ranked as the leading occasion for which respondents purchase gifts, followed by December holidays (77%) and other major holidays, such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day.



Sixty percent of millennials purchased "just because" gifts at all times during the year.

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