Fresh research has zoned in on exactly what Australian and New Zealand shoppers want from online retailers.
The *snapshot survey of online shopping habits, conducted by AVG Technologies, has revealed Australian and New Zealand shoppers’ preferences and concerns.
Indicating the rise of online and importance of social media activity, the study confirmed that the vast majority (82.1 per cent) of survey respondents had made online purchases in the last 12 months.
According to the survey results,
respondents also rated convenience (44.2 per cent) and price (37 per
cent) as the greatest motivators for online shopping.
The
research also revealed the greatest influences on choice came from
brand familiarity (41 per cent), product reviews (37.3 per cent) and
suggestions from family and friends (15.4 per cent).
Overall, 81.3 per cent of transactions
were also for under $100 purchases.
Interestingly, only 6.4
per cent of potential customers were influenced by email promotions
or mentions on social media and 84.2 per cent had not yet used a
mobile device for online transactions.
Ten per cent of respondents also cited badly designed websites as a reason for limiting their online shopping.
According to the survey, consumers also feel safest when purchasing via PayPal, with the service registering as the preferred payment method at 48 per cent, followed by using a credit card (33 per cent), followed by debit card (16 per cent), Eftpos (2.8 per cent) and with just one per cent opting for BPay.
Commenting on the results, AVG security advisor Michael McKinnon said the survey highlights that online and social media are an increasingly important component for retailers to invest in.
“Retailers need to make the experience easy, with well designed and navigated sites. Importantly, the experience should also be a safe one. Not only the financial transaction but customer information and business data must be protected from malicious attacks and fraud,” he said.
“The fact that newer technologies [such as mobile] barely make a mark on this survey is perhaps skewed by the predominant age bracket of the respondents (74.9 percent of whom were 50+).
“It is clear for those businesses targeting Millennials (18 to 34 year olds) that social media has a greater influence on buying preferences and are important tools in building brand and increasing ‘word of mouth’ referrals.”
Overall, the survey also identified the top five key considerations for successful online retailing:
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Make the site easy to navigate and ensure it is fast and responsive
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Highlight the security measures in place such as SSL and https://
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Provide a PayPal option
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Include a simple English privacy policy
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Use an easy to access refund policy as an incentive to buy
AVG Technologies is a software and online services provider whose portfolio includes: internet security, PC performance optimisation, online backup, mobile security and identity protection.
SOURCE: *AVG Online Shopping Survey January 2013
467 AVG customers from Australia and New Zealand responded to the survey:
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56.1 per cent males and 43.9 per cent females
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74.9 per cent of whom were aged 50 and above
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76.8 per cent have children