UK consumers want more online stores to remember certain aspects of their online navigation, a new Canadean survey finds. Realising that shoppers no longer wish to be pigeonholed into homogenous groups will be a challenge and opportunity for e-commerce.
According to the survey, over half of all consumers expect online retailers to remember their past purchases, followed by nearly a third (32%) of consumers wanting online retailers to recall the items that they have previously viewed. Another third (31%) of consumers wish for a personal shopping experience that notifies them when their favourite items go on sale. Over a quarter (27%) of consumers want VIP treatment in the form of appreciation gifts. Moreover, 43% of British consumers want retailers to know exactly how long they have been an online customer.
Thomas Delaney, analyst at Canadean, says: “Consumers do not want to be seen as a monetary unit of commerce when they are spending money online. Instead, they want to be remembered, even if it’s as insignificant as a personalised welcome message when they return to the site or app.” However, shoppers do not want retailers to have too much information either, with only 6% of consumers thinking it is a good idea for online retailers to track promotional material they received via email.
According to Canadean, Express is one online retailer that offers a more targeted and personalised shopping experience. The retail and fashion brand’s online social media presence provides daily fashion inspirations, online coupons, discount codes and competitions. Combined with clean and efficient online navigation and payment methods, Express is among the most innovative online retailers in the market.
Delaney says: “In 2015 online retailers need to move to a platform which bridges the gap between global brand awareness and the romanticised notion of a local retailer that remembers the names, faces, fashion sense and personalities of individual consumers.” With 58% of the UK population owning a smartphone, 44% a tablet, and 70% a personal laptop, almost anything can be purchased at the click of a button or the touch of a screen. Delany adds: “Technological innovation has moved e-commerce beyond its troublesome navigation and payment methods of the past and into an era of social commerce.”
The findings are based on a Canadean survey of 2,000 UK adults, conducted in October 2014.
About Canadean
Canadean provides in-depth market research across the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, including food, packaging, ingredients, soft drinks, beer, retail, foodservice, wines & spirits and cosmetics & toiletries. Canadean specialises in conducting online survey panels, producing in-depth market insight country reports through qualitative and quantitative research. For updates, please follow us on twitter or visit www.canadean.com
