Four habits of online shoppers

New research reveals Aussie shoppers have developed distinctive habits in their online shopping that differ from their in-store shopping habits.

A survey commissioned by CouriersPlease (CP) asked 1000 Australian online shoppers how much they spend per purchase online compared to in-store purchases and whether they purchasing cheaper items online, have more control over their shopping spend online, and if they spend more time researching products when shopping online.

CP reveals the four habits Aussies have developed when shopping online:

1. 4 in 5 shoppers tend to purchase items under $100 online. Shoppers tend to buy lower-priced items online. The survey results found that 2 in 3 shoppers (63%) will tend to purchase more expensive items in-store instead of online. Eighty-three (83%) of shoppers do not spend more than $100 per item when shopping online. For 44%, the average price point of items purchased online are $50-100 each. Meanwhile, 39% say the average price point is $50 or less. The majority (94%) of shoppers will not purchase items online that cost more than $200 each

2. 1 in 3 purchase more items when they shop online. Online shopping tends to make a significant proportion of shoppers spend more – and the younger the shopper, the more they’ll spend online. Thirty-five (35%) of shoppers say they buy more items from a retailer when they shop online compare with in store, 39% will spend the same, and just 26% will spend less online. The findings also reveal that the younger the age group, the more likely they are to purchase more items when they shop online: 50% of 18-29-year olds compared with 33% of 50-59-year-olds and just 20% of over-60s.

3. 2 in 3 shoppers do more product research when shopping online. Most people do more research on a product – including reading product reviews – before they buy a product online compared with in store – 67% as revealed by the survey. This was most common among younger age groups – 75% of 18-29-year-olds compared with 60% of over-50s. When shoppers research retailers on product review services, factors are usually based on the product quality, customer service, sizing, and whether the product appeared as advertised on the website.

4. Nearly a third of shoppers spend more time comparing prices when shopping online. When shoppers browse for an item online, 63% spend more time comparing prices on the same item across a range of retailers than they do when they shop instore. This is likely due to that fact that the same portal (the internet) enable both the buying and the research, making the research convenient.

CP’s spokesperson, Jessica Ip, says: “It is interesting that people have developed habits that are specific to online shopping, and are very distinct to their in-store shopping behaviours. The data reveals that traditional and online shopping have their place, with online shopping seemingly more popular when purchasing lower-cost products and multiple items in the one transaction, while the in-store shopping experience is still reserved for more premium, high-cost items.

“These habits of shoppers are particularly important for retailers who want to stay ahead of the industry and seek to tailor their services and offerings to shopping behaviours.”

About CouriersPlease

CouriersPlease (CP) is a leading courier and freight service that delivered nearly 18 million parcels in 2018 alone. CP offers a network of POPStation (Pick/Post your Own Parcel) parcel lockers comprising more than 3500 lockers in 45 locations and more than 1000 POPShop retail outlets to enable consumers and businesses to pick up or post their parcels more securely and out of hours. Owned by Singapore Post (SingPost), a leader in eCommerce logistics in the Asia Pacific and USA, CP’s international and domestic air services connect customers to over 220 countries. Visit couriersplease.com.au.