Online Shopping, What are We Buying and Why?

The number of people who do at least some of their shopping online keeps growing steadily year on year, with Millennials (not surprisingly) leading the pack. It follows that the younger generation, the Gen Z or charmingly nicknamed ‘iGeneration’ will take that example and run with it once they’ve entered the market too.

That said, most of us still do the majority of our shopping at traditional brick and mortar stores, but make use of online platforms to shop around, compare products, and inform our shopping decisions before we make a purchase in-store. So why do some products sell better online than others? What makes us willing to trust one retailer but not another? Let’s find out!

Clothing:

Perhaps one of the most surprising trends in online shopping is the massive increase in online clothing sales. You’d expect that visiting a brick and mortar store, where you have the chance to actually try on different sizes and styles, would be preferable to paying for something that may or may not fit you. And yet, this industry has seen some of the biggest increases in sales of all. Why? The answer may lie in:

Privacy:

Efficient return and refund processes mean that sending back clothes that don’t fit you or suit you isn’t as much of a hassle as you might expect. Better yet, you have the luxury of trying on your items in the privacy and comfort of your own home, with no queues or unfamiliar change rooms. On top of this, you can also mix and match with your existing items to see if the outfit will work with what you already have in your wardrobe. If it doesn’t fit or you don’t like it, you simply send it back.

There’s a level of anonymity with online shopping that has great appeal too, especially with those items you’d battle to look the cashier in the eye with in a physical store! Retailers who offer ‘discreet’ shipping for those… shall we say more sensitive items, will make sales to customers who might have decided not to purchase at all if it meant doing so in public.

Convenience:

When it comes to digital products, the ease of buying online is a no-brainer. When it gets interesting though, is how companies can take advantage by turning physical products into digital ones. Scratch cards, vouchers and tickets are an excellent example. Who wants the hassle of going into a store to purchase a physical ticket when they can simply play mega millions online? Why queue at the kiosk to purchase a physical ticket for that concert or event when a digital version can be sent to your smartphone? By combining online shopping with other technologies, retailers can open up the doors to greater revenue purely because the process becomes so efficient for their potential customers.

Another massive benefit to shopping online is that customers can place their orders 24/7. This has huge appeal for busy customers who battle to get to the shops during open hours – or simply don’t want to deal with the rush hour crowds and queues!

Free shipping:

People love to compare products online, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to end up making their purchase online too. By far the biggest motivator for a customer to click that buy now or add to cart button are those magical words, ‘free shipping’. People are willing to pay a bit more for your product if it means saving them a trip to the shops, and no matter how much the world around us seems to be changing, we’re always going to love something that’s free!

On the other side of the coin, the retailer can make it worth their while too by only offering free shipping on orders above a certain monetary value, encouraging their customers to add one or two more products to their cart.

Books:

Another popular online product that might seem surprising on the surface is books, but there’s actually good reason for this popularity. Operating a physical bookstore can be expensive, as you have to pay staff, hire the premises, and arrange for stock to be brought in and out regularly. If you’re sending books to customers straight from the main depot however, many of these costs can be reduced, and as a result you can pass some of these savings on to your customers. If you’re looking for a specific title, especially textbooks and reference books, sourcing them online (where you might even be able to find secondhand copies) can save cash-strapped students a fortune. Not to mention that online platforms are a treasure trove of reviews and suggestions.

The internet has revolutionized our lives in many ways, and how we shop is certainly no exception!