The Shifting Behaviors of the E-Commerce Buyer: A 2023 Shopper Survey

E-commerce has been a wild card for the last few years — to say the least. But the challenges that cropped up from shifting buyer behaviors have a potential bright side. They could be presenting online merchants with new, exciting growth opportunities.

Recognizing (and addressing) how online shoppers’ needs have changed will go a long way with customers. But in order to make the necessary improvements, you have to understand their wants and needs in the three main areas that comprise the customer experience.

• Purchasing – Convenience held the top spot for online shoppers, followed by variety and the ability to compare prices in real time.

• Returns – Convenience was equally important here. Most e-commerce merchants understand that returns erode margins, but considering the following leading reasons for returning items, our shopper survey suggests that reducing returns may lie with you:
  1. Incorrect sizing or fit
  2. Received wrong item(s)
  3. Product was not accurately represented on the merchant’s site
  4. Item(s) arrived damaged
  5. Item(s) arrived too late
• Sustainability — Today’s shoppers, especially the younger generations, care about waste. They prefer to buy from retailers with similar values, particularly those that are environmentally and socially responsible. Education in this area is essential, considering nearly half of the respondents stated they had no idea what happened to returned items. But when given information on how returns contribute to their carbon footprint, 87 percent indicated they would “definitely” or “probably” shop with retailers that offered more sustainable return practices.

Retailers effectively addressing these three key areas will demonstrate their understanding of what shoppers want and need. They’ll be able to leverage the customer experience as a competitive differentiator — one that attracts new customers, boosts shopper loyalty and increases customer lifetime value.