What makes a shopping experience convenient?

A new survey reveals the factors that customers say drive shopping convenience, in-store and online.

According to the recent “Mythbusters: Convenience” study from Numerator, 82% of surveyed shoppers say convenience is extremely or very important to them. For millennial respondents, this number rises to 87%, while for respondents of boomer and older generations it falls to 77%. 

Overall, respondents ranked convenience third in importance for a shopping experience, behind price and quality. However, 40% of respondents ranked convenience as their first or second shopping decision-making factor.

When asked what factors make an in-store shopping experience convenient, respondents said:

• Store location is the top in-store convenience factor. One in five respondents said store location is the most important factor for convenience, with an additional 50% saying it plays a role. 
• Close to four in five (78%) respondents consider the most convenient store location to be the one that is closest to home, followed by one along a route they travel regularly (54%). 
• Gen Z respondents prefer having a store within walking distance (25%) and along a public transportation route (13%). According to Numerator, this is because Gen Z respondents are 20% more likely to live in urban settings and 45% less likely to own a vehicle.
• Gen Z respondents are 30% more likely than respondents of other generations to consider self-checkout a key component of convenience. 

When asked what factors make an online shopping experience convenient, respondents said:

• More than four in 10 (44%) Gen Z consumers prefer online stores that make it easy to use promotions/coupons.
• Almost three in 10 (28%) millennial respondents like the ability to store payment info, and 20% of respondents from boomers and older generations find customer service the most convenient aspect of online shopping. 
• More than four in 10 (43%) of all respondents find online shopping somewhat or much more convenient than in-store. Millennial respondents are the most likely generation to favor online shopping (48%), followed by Gen X (46%). Gen Z finds in-store shopping “somewhat” to “much more” convenient (32%) than other generations.

In addition, respondents find it more convenient to shop in-store for perishable food and beverages (77%), frozen or refrigerated food and beverages (74%), and large home goods or furniture (55%).

Meanwhile, respondents find it convenient to shop online for pet food and supplies (31%), small appliances or electronics (29%), and baby and toddler items (24%).  

[Read more: Survey reveals online shopping habits of Gen Z]