The online shopping feature which has grown in importance the most is…
Roughly half of consumers agree that one specific aspect of the e-commerce experience is more important to them now than one year ago.
Online deals platform Savings.com recently surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers to find out how their expectations for online and in-store shopping have changed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-nine percent of respondents said convenient online payment options are more important to them now than one year ago. Other popular responses include:
• Fast shipping options 46%
• Simple returns process 44%
• Easy-to-navigate website 43%
• Pricing information clearly shown 37%
• Rarely out of stock 35%
• Quick checkout 35%
• Fast websites 31%
Convenient payment options were also selected by 61% of respondents who have stopped shopping at one of their favorite stores due to dissatisfaction with the online user experience.
In addition, the survey reveals significant differences between how many women and men selected certain aspects of online shopping as having gained importance, with larger percentages of women citing them. There was no major difference in selection by gender of convenient online payment options. However,
• Fast shipping women 51%, men 41%
• Simple return process women 48%, men 40%
• Easy-to-navigate website women 50%, men 36%
• Pricing information clearly shown women 42%, men 32%
• Rarely out of stock women 42%, men 28%
Savings.com notes 72% of women shop online, compared to 68% of men.
The survey also asked respondents to select which aspects of the in-person shopping experience are more important to them now than a year ago. Leading responses included:
• Quick checkout 46%
• Quality of customer service 46%
• Option to try on products before purchase 33%
• Face-to-face customer service 29%
Women (53%) were much more likely than men (40%) to select quick checkout. More men (32%) than women (25%) selected face-to-face customer service.