A new study of European online shopper behavior shows German retailers can grow their online business by improving live shopping experiences. The Behavior of Online Shoppers Survey 2021 shows German’s are significantly more likely than other Europeans to purchase 1 or more products from a webshop during live shopping.
Key findings from the research include:
- 67% of German shoppers are more likely to use webshops just for searching for products they want to buy vs the average of 58%
- 51% of German shoppers would be triggered to buy products online because of live shopping vs the average of just 38%
The survey is a collaboration between iPaper and Epinion, a leading European market research company. It identified trends from the responses of over 6,000 shoppers across the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy and Sweden.
Inspiration could be a game changer
The survey shows 67% of shoppers want to be inspired when browsing online. But only 29% say online retail stores are inspirational. Concerningly for retailers, 57% claim a lack of inspiration or poor shopping experience is a barrier against buying products from webshops.
There is potential to improve the perceived inspiration element of webshops across all demographic groups – all consumer groups want to be inspired online. Retailers could identify how offline shopper behaviour can be transformed online. Understand the full buying journey of online shoppers, and create inspirational content targeting the majority of browsing shoppers, instead of the small percentage looking to buy.
Jesper Lykke Nielsen, Director, Digital Business at Epinion says: “The Behavior of Online Shoppers Survey 2021 provides a lot of unique insights about what shoppers truly want when engaging with online retailers. Previously, little research has been done about whether shoppers perceive ecommerce as inspiring”.
“From this report it’s clear that simply showing off your products is not enough, and as a retailer you need to inspire shoppers. True inspiration should be built on emotional engagement and a personalized shopping experience. By focusing on these two pillars, retailers can drive long-term customer loyalty.” concludes Jesper Lykke Nielsen.
Retail can focus on emotional inspiration to compete with Amazon
A majority of shoppers (51%) stated that Amazon was the market leader for online inspiration. Amazon was also a preferred destination for product search and purchases. A huge 60% of shoppers use Amazon to buy products, compared to only 24% for webshops.
Amazon is incredibly efficient at functional inspiration. With a huge variety of products, fast delivery and competitive pricing. But Amazon doesn’t appeal to emotions. Retailers today can compete with Amazon by focusing on emotional inspiration. By building online platforms designed to inspire and communicate unique brand stories, retailers can connect with shoppers on an emotional level and increase shopper loyalty.
Mark Rasmussen, CEO of iPaper says, “This survey shows that there is a gap in the market. Shoppers want inspiration, but many webshops do not provide enough of it. And we predict the demand for inspirational content will only increase. Retailers need to rethink how they can connect with browsing shoppers and build inspirational shopping experiences. A large percentage of shoppers already agree they buy spontaneously, so imagine the power retailers could have if they inspire those impulsive shoppers.”
About The Behavior of Online Shoppers Survey 2021
The Behavior of Online Shoppers survey is a study of 6,000 European consumers’ online behavior. The survey seeks to identify online shopper trends across six countries (UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden) and provide a deep-dive into the online consumer journey. The core focus areas of the survey is online search, inspiration and buying behavior and covers a broad scope of consumer goods (e.g. clothing, electronics, groceries). The project is designed in collaboration between Epinion and iPaper.
About iPaper
iPaper has 15 years of experience creating digital marketing solutions. We support over +1,200 customers globally to digitize retail leaflets and direct selling catalogs. As well as create and publish promotion banners that convert browsing shoppers. Our automation technology enables retailers to make their digital leaflets interactive and shoppable. Helping retailers to scale demand for their products.
About Epinion
Epinion is a leading Danish consumer consultancy with over 20 years of experience in helping retailers and brands build customer loyalty. Acting as the voice of the customer, our mission is to enable our clients to leverage their potential by increasing their understanding of their individual customers. We believe that companies can increase both sales and loyalty when they truly make an effort to understand the behavior of their customers, and always listen to them – and then act on their knowledge.
