2016

THANKS TO CONNECTED DEVICES LIKE TABLETS AND

SMARTPHONES, THE WAY PEOPLE SHOP IS CHANGING

DRAMATICALLY.

We aim to better prepare brands for the future of retail.

So for the fifth consecutive year, DigitasLBi has conducted

a groundbreaking global survey into the emerging trends

of multi-platform shopping across 15 countries. (They

include: Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, France,

Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, the Netherlands,

Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the

USA.)

The study reveals the latest technology trends and

consumer habits that are transforming how, where, and

why we buy.

METHODOLOGY

S a m p l e s i z e : 1 , 0 0 0 w e b u s e r s

p e r c o u n t r y a g e d 1 8 – 6 4

( q u o t a m e t h o d : g e n d e r , a g e ,

i n c o m e o r s o c i a l p r o f i l e ,

r e g i o n ) .

USAGE

SMARTPHONES ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT

DURING ALL STAGES OF THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY.

What devices do online shoppers own and

how do they use them?

WHICH DEVICES DO ONLINE SHOPPERS USE?Ownership of mobile devices is now widespread across all countries

USAGE

SMARTPHONE

94% in

201673% in

2016

90% in

2016

75% in

2016

TABLET LAPTOPDESKTOP

29% in

2016

WEARABLEDEVICES

What devices do you

personally use?

61% in

2016

CONNECTED TV

SMARTPHONESDaily usage and shopping online

USAGE

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

70 75 80 85 90 95 100Daily general

usage among

users (%)

Smartphone

used to

purchase online

(in %)

High smartphone usage for online purchases

Low smartphone usage for online

purchases

Mid smartphone usage for online purchase

Medium smartphoneusage for online

purchases

MULTI-DEVICE BEHAVIOURSAnytime, anywhere, on any device

ON AVERAGE PEOPLE USE 3.9 DEVICES

What devices do you

personally use?

USAGE

How frequently do you

purchase online, by device

used?

SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR BY DEVICEOnline shopping has become common in all countries,

although there are some differences in terms of sophistication.

ECOMMERCE

SMARTPHONE

68%of online shoppers

55%of online shoppers

83%of online shoppers

68%of online shoppers

TABLET LAPTOP DESKTOP

USAGE

PRE-BUYING BEHAVIOUR

HOW DO SHOPPERS RESEARCH PRODUCTS?

FIRST SOURCE OF INFORMATIONMain sources of information used

PURCHASE PROCESS

What resources do you use to search

for information on a product or

service? I consult... Please grade your

responses where 1 is the one you use

the most.

MULTI BRAND RETAILER WEBSITES ARE THE MAIN

SOURCE OF INFORMATION:

- Retailer websites or apps are the first digital

information source in all countries - most notably

in the USA, UK, Germany, France and China.

- Price comparison services are next (45%).

These are most widely used in Germany, the

Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Italy.

- In total, 29% of consumers use brand websites

or apps (this figure is higher in the USA, UK,

Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and Australia).

- In total, reviews by online users or consumers

are used by 35% of shoppers (especially in

Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Italy).

INFLUENCERS ARE NOT CONSULTED IN THE

BUYING PROCESS

When looking for information on a product or

service:

- Only 15% use them during the research

process.

- The immediate social circle (friends, family,

colleagues) are the real influencers. They are

consulted by 35% of buyers.

26% in 2016

RETAILER WEBSITE APPS

8%In 2016

STORE

10%In 2016

FAMILY& FRIENDS

16%In 2016

PRICE COMPARISON

SITES

Friends and family are

important in the buying cycle:

35% of shoppers consult them

– as much as they use

consumer review sites:

Consumer reviews are

important in the pre-purchase

journey.

78% of online shoppers look for other users’ opinions before purchasing.

This is even more important in Asian countries and in South Europe

(Spain, Italy)We can deduce that users’ opinions

are mostly read on retailers’ websites / apps

Brands’ websites do not always provide users’ comments. Perhaps this explains why they are less used

before online purchases…

USERS’ OPINIONS AND COMMENTSImpact of digital voices in the purchase process

78%of online shoppers who search for products online look for

other users’ opinions and comments

Here are several things that people have

said about online purchases. For each of

them, please indicate if you agree or not

PURCHASE PROCESS

RETAIL (STILL) RULES

IN-STORE SHOPPING STILL DRIVES 90%* OF SALES

Understanding the real reason for retail preference

*FEVAD SOURCE

MOB

Which one of the following is most likely to

make you prefer to buy in-store rather

than online?

RETAIL RESISTANCE

PRODUCT TESTING(67%)AVAILABILITY

(65%)

STORE

PROXIMITY(43%)

12

THE ADVANTAGES OF BUYING IN-STORE

3

Physical, in-store shopping has 3

main advantages over the online

experience:

It allows shoppers to test products (this

was the main driver for 38% of people interviewed, especially in Hong Kong and Singapore (47%))

Items are immediately available (this was the key priority for 27% of consumers overall - 34% in UK and 37% in the USA).

Physical proximity is an important consideration for in-store shopping. In particular in the US (53%), UK (50%) and Australia (48%).

Sales advisers’ expertise is not seen as a key benefit (32% of respondents referred this, only 10% first) There is a lack of

perceived added value as consumers are now as informed as

salesmen thanks to the internet

ONLINE PURCHASE

ADVANTAGES

RETAIL RESISTANCE

AVAILABILITY OF

PRODUCT

(59%)

Expectations from a retailer or a

brand when buying online ?

12 3

PRODUCT

INFORMATION

(54%)

AVAILABILITY OF

DELIVERY

(55%)

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

FROM A RETAILER OR BRAND

WHEN BUYING ONLINE?

BENEFIT FROM SPECIAL

OFFERS OR BETTER

PRICES

(88%)

12 3

MORE CHOICES

(85%)

TAKE TIME TO THINK

ABOUT THINGS

(93%)

E-COMMERCE

WHENEVER, WHEREVER, HOW EVER.

This is the way new connected consumers shop.

In general, what is the maximum

delivery time you will expect ?

CONSUMER EXPECTATIONMaximum delivery time

ECOMMERCE

of people

expect more than 1 day to be the

maximum delivery time

of people

expect 1 day or less

82% VS 18%

PURCHASE FROM CATEGORIESTop 3 per country

ECOMMERCE

8%

Fashion

88%

Culture

86%

Fashion

89%

Culture

92%

Culture

86%

Fashion

80%

Culture

75%

Culture

90%

Culture

81%

Culture

83%

Technology

85%

Culture

86%

Fashion

82%

Technology

87%

Fashion

80%

Technology

89%

Culture

82%

Food

94%Fashion

87%

Leisure-travel

79%

Health-beauty

76%

Technology

82%

Netherlands Denmark Sweden Spain Italy

China IndiaAustraliaSingaporeHong-Kong

United States England France Belgium Germany

Technology

87%

Technology

88%

Technology

81%

Leisure-travel

77%

Fashion

90%

Householditems

88%

Leisure-travel

80%

Householditems

80%

Fashion

87%

Fashion

87%

Leisure-travel

84%

Fashion

86%

Technology

87%

Leisure-travel

86%

Householditems

89%

Technology

74%

Fashion

85%

Leisure-travel

79%

Fashion

82%

Culture

82%

Householditems

90%

Technology

89%

Fashion

93%

Fashion

92%

PRICE is the main online

purchase driver in all product

categories, ahead of choice

and comfort.

ONLINE PURCHASE DRIVER

What was the main motivation behind

this purchase ?

ECOMMERCE

46%OF PURCHASES ARE

MOTIVATED BY THE PRICE

18%OF PURCHASES HAPPEN BECAUSE THE PRODUCT

WAS NOT AVAILABLE IN-STORE

14%OF PURCHASES TAKE

PLACE ONLINE BECAUSE THE SHOPPER WANTS

STAY AT HOME

MAINLY FOR MAINLY FOR MAINLY FOR

Although online purchases are

mainly made alone, some

products are bought when the

shopper is accompanied. This

happens most often when

purchasing home equipment

and leisure-travel products.

PURCHASE ALONE OR ACCOMPANIED

Did you make this purchase alone or

accompanied by someone?

ECOMMERCE

62%OF PURCHASES ARE

MADE ALONE

38%OF PURCHASES ARE

MADE ACCOMPANIED

ALONE FOR TOGETHER FOR

SHORT

LONG

Shopping for food and DIY

products requires less

dedicated concentration.

Multitasking is not common with

leisure-travel and technology

shopping, as it requires

expertise and time to research

the right products.

PURCHASE AND MULTITASKINGDuring the purchase…

While you make your purchase, were you

doing another activity at the same time ?

ECOMMERCE

25%OF PURCHASES ARE

MADE WHILE WATCHING TV

13%OF PURCHASES

ARE MADE WHILE LISTENING TO THE RADIO OR MUSIC

7%OF PURCHASES

ARE MADE WHILE EATING

SPECIALLY FOR SPECIALLY FOR SPECIALLY FOR

In summary, the quality of

recommendations should be

improved – and consumer

reviews are an important part of

the online purchase journey.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENTLevel of satisfaction

And in detail, how satisfied were you with the

purchase process ? By this, we mean the full

process, in relation to the app / website used.

Please rate each item between 0 and 10

where 0 means that you were not satisfied at all

and 10 that you were completely satisfied

ECOMMERCE

PRICE

WEBSITE AND APP EASE OF USE

EASE TO FIND THE PRODUCT

AMOUNT OF CHOICE

QUALITY OF

RECOMMENDATIONS

ESPECIALLY FOR