Online shopping is a matter of course in Switzerland
The key finding of this year’s Y&R Wunderman E-Commerce Study shows that online shopping has become second nature to Swiss consumers in 2019.
Shopping around the clock, conveniently finding out everything about the product information and having the products delivered to their homes are the most important drivers for success, according to the results of the study. However, anyone who comes up with excessively high shipping costs has done the math without the host. In addition, this year also shows that e-commerce is increasingly becoming mobile commerce, where customers go on a shopping spree.
Convenience is the magic word
Our shopping needs are as individual as our schedules. Online, many of these needs can be served ever better. Overall, the top five motivations for online shopping show that convenience is the most important argument for the Swiss when shopping online.
Product information is crucial
Because products cannot be touched and tested in an online store, it is very important for 86 percent of online customers to find sufficient information about the product. Product images are also crucial for 75 percent of customers to be able to judge a product.
High shipping costs deter
65 percent of customers hesitate to make a purchase if an online store charges high shipping costs. And 36 percent of those surveyed hesitate if returns are too costly, which means that free returns are simply expected these days.
Online vs. offline shopping
The product category determines the channel through which a consumer prefers to obtain information. The majority of airline and event tickets are researched online, but not necessarily purchased online. In the case of food and medicines, on the other hand, customers prefer to find out about products in the store, even if they may then buy them over the Internet.
Shopping via smartphone? Of course!
"Mobile first" is the motto for the future for every e-commerce provider. Well-optimized shopping apps and responsive implementations provide an important competitive advantage. 31 percent of digital natives say they shop via a mobile device one to three times a month - that's an increase of 4 percent over the previous year. A significant increase can also be observed among digital immigrants and silver surfers. 28 percent of digital immigrants even say they make a transaction on their smartphone every week.
Zalando app remains at the top
Around 40 percent of the Swiss resident population already uses mobile apps for online shopping. Zalando still holds on to first place, while Wish has established itself in second place and is opening the doors to Swiss customers in China.
The smartphone as a personal assistant
Today, smartphones are also a natural part of in-store shopping. To compare prices, research product information, ask friends for advice or benefit from promotions. 39 percent of digital immigrants say they use their smartphone for discounts and promotions or for promotional codes and coupons - among silver surfers, the figures are still 25 and 28 percent respectively.
Information on the Y&R Wunderman e-commerce studyFor a decade now, Y&R Wunderman has been investigating trends in Swiss online retailing. For this purpose, 2000 people aged between 14 and 69 from German- and French-speaking Switzerland were surveyed online about their shopping behavior. For cross-comparison purposes, the study divides the online population into three generations: "digital natives" (14-29 years), "digital immigrants" (30-54 years) and "silver surfers" (55-69 years). The sample is representative according to official structural data for Switzerland. An excerpt from the comprehensive study can be here downloaded free of charge.
Responsible at Y&R Wunderman: Yvan Piccinno (Overall Responsibility, Managing Director); Philip Zsifkovits (Strategic Planner); Jonathan Fearns (Business Development Lead).
