Australian shoppers are most concerned by the user experience and the returns process when shopping online, new research has found.
An online survey – conducted by Cint on behalf of Klarna – of 1000 Australians between the ages of 18 and 45 found that Australians have fairly low expectations for their online shopping experience with returns being the number one pain point.
The survey found three out of five (57%) have concerns about the speed and ease of returns, a factor which may stop them from shopping online.
Exchange rates, shopping costs, currency conversions and delivery times are also areas of frustration.
Despite these concerns, the survey found that 28% of Australians shop online at least once a week. This figure increases to 33% for those aged 26 to 35.
The most popular categories per month for all Australian shoppers when purchasing online is topped by takeaway (71%) followed by groceries (60%) and then clothing (54%). Footwear comes in at number nine at 38%.
Shopping while at work is popular among Australian consumers, with 66% admitting to have done this. 10% further admit they do it daily, while 25% indicated that they shop online at work on a weekly basis.
One in four respondents indicated that they shop while in the bathroom, with the figure increasing to one in three for 18 to 25 year olds.
The survey also found that the platforms Australians are using to shop differs between men and women.
49% of men would rather shop from their desktop or laptop while 42% of women prefer to shop via mobile or tablet.
Apps proved to be popular shopping tools for Australians with one in five consumers preferring to shop via this platform.
Meanwhile, social media helps to inspire shoppers, with 49% of respondents indicating that they've been inspired to buy something from Facebook, YouTube (42%), Instagram (40%) and Pinterest (20%).
Despite 42% of Aussies having reservations about sharing their financial and personal details with a website, a debit card remains the number one choice for paying online for 57% of shoppers.
Two in five (40%) would prefer to use a credit card with almost one in three (32%) prefering to pay in instalments.
The report also found that Australian buy-now-pay-later users saw it as both a payment method and a budgeting tool to better plan cash flow, making them feel smart, conscious and financially responsible.