Data from research conducted by ChannelAdvisor and Dynata has found that High street hesitation continues to benefit eCommerce due to COVID-19 as 28% of surveyed consumers continue to abstain from high street shopping and over half plan to do more of their Christmas shopping online compared to 2019.
The September survey data shows that since the COVID-19 crisis, 60% of consumers have been shopping online more frequently, showing a continuous rise from the 48% who said the same in the May survey. Despite there still being a sizable number of shoppers visiting brick and mortar stores to do their shopping, fears over the spread of the virus have clearly pushed more consumers into staying safe by doing more online.
The data also revealed that Amazon has played a huge part in the shift with 45% of consumers choosing to begin their online shopping on Amazon before heading elsewhere. Since March 85% of all online shoppers have been using Amazon to research products and 45% have been spending more time on the site during the pandemic. Finally, 63% plan to do most of their Christmas shopping on the platform with 70% planning to at least check Amazon prices before making any purchase decisions.
“As peak shopping season approaches and high street hesitation persists, e-commerce continues to offer a valuable lifeline for retailers and brands. 2020 has redefined the shopping experience for many and even the idea of window shopping has changed. Even many intending to visit a shop are likely to research products on digital channels first and this creates opportunities for those digital brands that can offer a convenient online buying experience and highlight potential spontaneous purchases. Shoppers have become more adventurous online and this is the ideal time for brands to match this by experimenting with different approaches across digital channels.”
– Vladi Shlesman, Managing Director, EMEA for ChannelAdvisor
