The vast majority (83%) of online shoppers say they are satisfied with their online shopping experiences, while 63% say they are happy with their in-store shopping experiences, according to the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper Study, which was administered by comScore.
Results for the study were collected through a survey of 5,800 U.S. online shoppers between Feb. 27, 2014 and March 9, 2014. The survey was developed to evaluate consumers’ shopping habits from pre-purchase to post-delivery.
Convenience was considered the most important factor for most respondents. Although nearly 90% of retail purchases in the U.S. are transacted in physical stores, more than half (55%) of shoppers said they preferred to buy products online, regardless of how they research products and prices.
During the researching process, consumers rely on detailed information such as item descriptions, ratings/reviews and images. In fact, 43% of mobile users prefer to shop on desktops/laptops over mobile devices because the former produces clearer images. Nearly half (41%) of all respondents said they prefer a retailer’s full website vs. a mobile web site (34%) or mobile app (25%).
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Desktops/laptops are consumers’ preferred buying channel, but respondents use their smartphones for several other shopping-related activities, including tracking deliveries (28%), researching products prior to visiting a store (25%), researching products and alternatives during a store visit (22%) and locating stores or checking inventory levels (22%).
Convenience Trumps All In Product Delivery And Return Experience
Of all online shopping perks, consumers especially enjoy receiving free shipping on purchases. Up to 85% of respondents said they’d be willing to wait five days for their purchases, as long as they received free shipping. As many as 83% of customers say they will wait an additional two days to receive free shipping. Nearly all (93%) of shoppers take action to qualify for free shipping, and the leading action taken is adding more items to the cart (58%).
Online shopping satisfaction is high but online return volume has increased between 2013 and 2014. In fact, 62% respondents have returned or exchanged an item they purchased online, compared to 51% in 2012. To that end, consumers also expect returns to be free, with 82% of respondents saying they would complete a purchase if they could either receive free return shipping or return the item to a store.
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