As consumers also became more environmentally conscious with their spending during Lockdown
BOSTON, November 12th
The Pandemic caused a huge shift in online shopping with $708 billion being spent online this year so far – an 18% increase compared to 2019. It also forced the hand of the late adopters who had so far resisted shopping online with 5 million first time shoppers coming online.
A new report by iAdvize the leading conversational platform being used by major brands and retailers across the world worked with YouGov to survey 1342 consumers in the US from the 14th to 16th of October 2020 to take a deep dive into the changes caused by the Pandemic six months in.
The report finds that 33% of Americans said they shopped more online during the Pandemic and 66% stating that they anticipate they will shop the same amount online after the Pandemic ends and only 25% saying they expected to spend less online after the pandemic ends.
Consumers want to speak with humans when shopping online
In a hugely competitive e-commerce world, customers are expecting better customer experience and to be able to instantly connect with a human online if they have any questions. 61% of people said they would leave a website if there was no live chat / instant way to connect with customer support with 74% reporting that they are more likely to revisit a store that offered them the ability to instantly connect with a real human either via live chat or video support.
Opinions and Recommendations most important factors affecting consumers decision making process
When asking consumers what they felt were the most important factors that influenced their shopping behavior, reading reviews from other customers (69%) are seeing a website’s recommendations of products (31%) were considered the most important factor followed by the ability to connect with a real human to ask questions (27%)
Factors that influence their shopping behavior
- Opinions from other customers 69%
- Website recommendations 31%
- Talking to a real human via only chat 27%
- Specialist online forums 19%
- A customer service phone line 15%
- Expert recommendations 15%
- Chatbots 11%
Finally the report found that the Pandemic had made consumers more eco-conscious with 9% of people reporting they are buying more eco-conscious products, 6% spent more on organic products and 8% buying more refurbished products.
Terrence Fox from iAdvize commented “In a hugely competitive online world where Amazon is only a click away, consumers are gravitating towards online stores that offer the ability for them to be able to instantly connect with a real human to answer any questions or help complete the sale. As people are isolating and being forced to shop online more, the need for more human interaction while shopping has become more apparent.”
About iAdvize
iAdvize provides a conversational platform to empower brands and retailers to elevate their digital experience at scale. The solution has been deployed by over 2,000 companies (Samsung, Lowe’s, Under Armour, Disney, L’Oreal…) to drive engagement, online sales and customer insights.
