Traditional Commerce VS Online Commerce
6 out of 10 consumers will buy their gifts online after having tried them in physical stores. In the current scenario of business dynamism, the preference between a physical store and an online store is revealed as a key indicator of people's purchasing habits.
According to a recent report published by InPost and Psyma, 72.9% of consumers prefer to buy products in physical stores rather than on virtual platforms. Findings challenge the growing trend of online shopping and reflect the profound importance of personal experience in the purchasing process
Enjoying the immediacy of products is one of the main factors that favor physical stores. The possibility of possessing the product immediately after the purchase is an aspect that significantly influences the purchase decision, highlighting the emotional connection with the product from the moment of purchase. Additionally, physical location and personalized attention are key factors, with the latter being particularly important for men and older adults.
Interestingly, consumers from different geographic regions share similarities in the factors that influence their choice of physical stores. However, the emphasis on personalized attention is different, being more prominent in the Northeast and somewhat less in the Barcelona metropolitan area.
The analysis reveals an interesting interaction between in-store and online purchases. A significant percentage, 64.5% of those surveyed, chose to buy a certain product online after seeing it in a physical store. The practice is more common among people between 25 and 34 years old (81%) and between 35 and 44 years old (73%). On the other hand, an impressive 77.1% of people who reviewed a product in an online store bought it in a physical store. This behavior is more common in the group of those under 45 years of age and less common in the Canary Islands.
In the context of Christmas and Epiphany shopping, spending in physical stores is expected to increase slightly (58.7%) compared to online stores. This pattern is consistent with the lack of significant differences between genders, but emphasizes that older consumers prefer physical stores. Interestingly, online shopping is especially important in the South.
When it comes to online shopping delivery logistics, door-to-door delivery is the most used method, accounting for 76% of preferences. This method is especially popular among older people and in the Canary Islands. The deciding factors when choosing a shipping method are shipping cost, shipping speed, and door-to-door shipping, in that order. Transportation costs are especially important for 88% of those surveyed, with women and residents of the Madrid metropolitan area giving it the greatest importance.
As consumers explore and take advantage of both channels, businesses must adapt and find innovative ways to meet changing market demands.
Sustainability is also considered an important factor in purchasing decisions: 65.7% of respondents consider the environmental impact of delivery important. However, willingness to pay higher shipping costs for greener supplies varies widely. 70% of those surveyed affirm that they would not pay more for this service, this proportion being higher in the northwest of Madrid and the metropolitan area. On the contrary, those most willing to pay the extra cost are those under 25 years of age and southerners.
The use of collection points or lockers to deliver online orders has become common: 69% of respondents use this option. The level of satisfaction in these points is different: the highest level is in the 55 to 64 age group, the highest level in Levante and the lowest level in the Canary Islands.
The choice of the collection location depends largely on the distance from the home (56.5%), much more than on the convenient time (22.9%). Although differences by gender and age were small, schedules were significantly less important for younger people.