As Anum Hussain, an inbound marketing manager for the inbound sales division of HubSpot, writes:
“The way people buy products and services online has dramatically changed over the years — and these days, the customer has more power than ever. To understand more about what influences today’s customer, the folks at BigCommerce analyzed a range of E-commerce sites to give us a broader understanding of what people value when shopping online. While these findings may be specific to online ecommerce shops, we believe there’s some valuables lessons here for all business types. Take a look, and keep reading below for some tweetable takeaways.”
Many of these occurrences honestly surprise me. I do not see Free Shipping as a huge matter in online shopping (although I have never had to buy something that might constitute a large amount of shipping effort) and the country of origin is also not a huge factor when I shop. For me, the most important aspects of a store can be found in checkout ease and easy access to the store. I feel that online shopping can be deterred by items that utilize excessive advertising. Although Amazon does advertise packages when buying a product, I prefer Amazon over other online retailers due to the easiness of purchase rather than any of the more complex services and sales they provide.
When I saw “Free Shipping” was 2nd on the list it did not surprise me at all. I think most people look for Free Shipping right away and that will give them more of a reason to purchase the product. As far as country of origin, I do not pay attention to that at all. I feel like most people do not look at that until after they buy the product and see it on the label. It also did not surprise me that social media has a huge impact on purchasing products. I definitely think that friends have an impact on the products you buy. If you see all your friends with a product and constantly talking about it, it is going to make you want it as well. I personally do look at the online reviews because I like to see how others view the product after purchase, but most of the time it does not have a major impact on whether or not I am going to buy the product.
I found the last part the most interesting, it seem more than half the stuff we buy is made in china. I was suprised too read 80% of american consumers would buy a product if it said made in the USA. I don’t believe new balance sell more sneakers in the American market than nike.
Most of these statistics do not surprise me at all besides the last fact about China and the products that come out of there. So many of our daily products we use are made in China, so I was surprised that more than half of Americans are less likely to purchase items made in China. The stats about moms also made me laugh because it made me think of my mom and how she is always liking different brands and products on Facebook without really knowing what liking a page means at all.
Among the top 10 factors that influence a purchase decision, following product quality, are free shipping,easy return, and customer reviews. I can definitely say these are three factors that I consider greatly when I am shopping online. Free shipping is a big factor for me, and a lot of my friends as well. Since so many stores offer and advertise free shipping, I almost expect it from everywhere that I shop, and am disappointed when I am told I have to pay for shipping. Actually, many times when I have to pay for shipping, I will look for the product that I am purchasing on another website that has free shipping, or buy it in-store. Easy return is also a huge factor for me and many people that I know, especially when it comes to clothing. Some websites have these crazy directions and rules for returns, and to be honest, I don’t order from them, because I do not want to deal with the return policy. Finally, customer reviews, have definitely grown on me in the past couple of years. I know many online shoppers, like myself, like there to be customer reviews on the product that are going to purchase, so they know they are making a good investment, and know what to expect when they receive it after purchase.
Internet has a huge impact on why we decide to purchase certain things for me. Social media I think is a huge way I find out about a new product or about a sale. Main influences for me is competitive prices. If different companies are selling the same exact product I want to find the company that is gonna give me the best deal. Also I like to read customer reviews on the product and how there overall experience was. If a lot of customers leave a bad review it will make me think twice about buying it from that company. Also free and fast shipping is also a big incentive for me.
I can completely relate to all the factors that influence why or where someone chooses to online shop. Besides the quality of the clothes, many of the websites I use to shop online were recommended to me by my friends. Free shipping is a huge plus, or at least relatively inexpensive shipping. Yesterday I was going to buy a formal dress online but shipping was quite expensive to ensure it got here before the event, which is a little over a week away, so I decided against it. I was surprised by the last statistic on the post. 4 out of 5 people notice when products are labeled “Made in America” but honestly, I never look for that.
When I saw free shipping as the second highest factor, I was not surprised at all. Everyone is always looking for a great product for a low price and always trying to find coupons to lower their price even more. When I shop online, I usually wont buy something unless it has free shipping because otherwise I could just drive to the store and pick it up at no additional cost. Usually the first thing that I look at when buying a product online is the customer reviews, so that surprised me that it was fourth and not higher. When looking at customer reviews, it really can tell you the negatives about many products that are not said in the product description! Overall, I learned a lot from this article and it gave me an insight on what customers really want when shopping online.
People are always looking to save money, which explains why free shipping and competitive pricing are among the leading factors and features. The internet really influences shopping behavior, because it gives consumers the opportunity to compare and learn about almost any product. There are also many options for saving money by simply signing up for e-mails, or becoming a follower on social media. Additionally, with the push on supporting local businesses, people are more likely to buy US made products, rather than foreign made products. This post encourages me to reflect on my own shopping behavior, and determine what factors influence me most.
I know that i like to save money when shopping so some of these statistics don’t come off as to surprising. It makes sense that a lot of people would be persuaded to purchase items when they are cheaper. However while these statistics can say whatever they want i know that i have my own way of shopping online and i can assume that everyone else does. Things like pricing discounts, quality, and reviews on websites are part of my routine, but then again it is important to remember that these things are available online to help persuade purchases.
I find it interesting that people 57% of people are less likely to purchase products that are made in China. I guess these people do not realize that their iPhones, iPads, and most of their clothes are made in China. As far as social media goes, I do not find it surprising that our friends greatly influence our decisions. If you want to find out a review on a product, asking your friend who just purchased it is the best way to go. She can tell you everything about the product quality, price, and purchase process.
As an addicted online shopper, I can say that this is pretty accurate with what drives online shopping. A week does not go buy that I don’t find myself at least “window shopping” online. It is only when I find a good deal though, and a coupon to go with it that I make a purchase. Free shipping is always a plays, and that will get me to shop there more than once. It is no surprise that when a friend or family member promotes an online store that you will be more likely to shop there because then you know that it is most likely reliable and not a scam. Online shopping is convenient and quick, making it more appealing then going into the store.
Personally, I am the one who purchase something just because it’s easy to return. When I really got the stuff, I don’t want to return it back. So nowadays, lots of brand or websites may hold some activities to ship the item for free or give a free return label to the customers. People who often have impulsive purchase are the potential consumers under this marketing method.
None of these statistics surprise me though I am happy to see them complied. Product quality is definitely most important to me and free shipping helps (though it is not the 2nd most important to me personally). I always research a product in the store prior to purchase to make sure I like it as can be evident by how frustrated the shoe store salespeople around my home are since I never end up buying there but I do try many models in different sizes)
When it comes to tech devices, I have watched many videos prior to purchasing my current phone and my tablet.
Also, I started using my cell phone in stores to get coupons, research products, and more. I am not sure whether I am the only one but I started this habit only after I began using my phone to download boarding passes for airplanes. Before that I never even though to download a coupon on my phone.
I would like to be able to say I do not care about the country of origin of products but that is sometimes not true. When it comes to clothing and the like, I usually try to buy American unless my research has concluded the brand adheres to high standards of labor in other countries.
For me the single biggest factor in whether or not I will buy an item Im interested in is customer reviews. Right now Im looking to buy a car and I found a great one at a nice price that looks to be in good condition but after reading so many reviews online all with the same horror stories about the exact same maintenance issues Im not likely to purchase it. Price is secondary Ill spend the extra dough for a product with better reviews.
While reading this article, I couldn’t help but chuckle because of how much it relates to me. When I am shopping, especially online, I 100% am influenced by the free shipping and by the posts of my friends. If I see on my newsfeed that one of my friends have shopped on Tobi, I automatically become interested and take a look at the site. I also tend to use a website more if its easy to use and hassle free so this article really got me because I completely agree that most of these factors at least contribute to how I am influenced
This is definitely so accurate. Product quality and free shipping are two of the main things I look for when online shopping. Sometimes, free shipping and be a deal breaker for me because why would I want to pay extra for shipping when I am already spending so much money buying products from the site. I see it as a waste of extra spending. You will find me online shopping on sites with free shipping more than other sites, unless I can do store pickup.