Europeans positive about online purchases
The survey has shown that Europeans are in general satisfied with online shopping, with 76 % giving a score of 6 or 7, on a scale of 7. The biggest advocates are Germans and Brits, where 81 % and 80 % of participants are very satisfied, while 73 % of Belgians and 75 % of Dutch people are also very satisfied.
Belgian and Dutch consumers consider free delivery at a specifically chosen moment of time to be real benefits in online shopping, while a site with their own language (69 % in Europe, 71 % in Belgium, 65 % in the Netherlands), a wide range of products (70 % in Europe, 68 % in Belgium, 66 % in the Netherlands) and track and trace-options (64 % in Europe, 62 % in Belgium, 61 % in the Netherlands) are also deemed to be important.
Improvement possible
That does not mean the online shopping experience is perfect, as mostly the customer service could use some improvement, with being able to talk to an actual person as number one on the wish list (mostly in Belgium and Germany). The choice to pick your own delivery date (mostly in Belgium, France, Italy) and to order through a smartphone (mostly in Belgium and France) are also requested features.
Negative experiences are mainly because delivery costs can turn out to be higher than expected, as not everything is delivered for free, an issue 57 % of Europeans, 58 % of Belgians and 52 % of Dutch customers dislike. Unexpected delays are also quite annoying for 49 % of customers (47 % of Belgian and 49 % of Dutch people agree).
Delivery service UPS and market research company ComScore have asked 14,000 consumers worldwide what they felt about online shopping, with 5,600 consumers coming from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
