6 Factors that Impact the Behaviour of Online Shoppers

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The number of people choosing to shop online is continuing to increase&comma; <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;ft&period;com&sol;content&sol;a8f5c780-f46d-11e7-a4c9-bbdefa4f210b" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">with non-food retail sales growing<&sol;a> by 12&period;5&percnt; between 2012 and 2017&period; While shopping online provides greater flexibility for consumers&comma; able to order at any times and receive items quickly through the post&comma; shoppers are also becoming savvier and more aware when it comes to buying on the web&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">With Christmas approaching and many choosing the convenience of online stores&comma; here are six factors that impact online shopping behaviours that businesses should consider&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Staying Safe and Secure<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Recent research has revealed that in 2017&comma; Brits shopping online were <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;which&period;co&period;uk&sol;news&sol;2018&sol;05&sol;online-shopping-scams-cost-brits-58m-a-year&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">scammed more than 40&comma;000 times<&sol;a>&comma; costing approximately £58million&period; Therefore&comma; it is of little surprise that people are becoming more safety conscious when choosing where to shop&comma; in order to protect themselves from fraud&period; As a result&comma; shoppers are now looking for <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;top-best-world-popular-cheap-ssl-certificate-providers&sol;">security certificates<&sol;a>&comma; padlock logos and secure checkout processes&comma; in order to keep their information safe&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Methods of Payment<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">A large part of staying safe online relates to methods of payment&period; For example&comma; if the checkout process is not secure&comma; or only accepts a limited number of payment options&comma; it could send shoppers looking elsewhere&period; Taking the time to ensure checkout is fast&comma; simple and secure could benefit ecommerce businesses&comma; with the potential to reduce the number of abandoned carts and therefore&comma; boost sales&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Delivery Costs and Options<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">While customers can be deterred by the price of products&comma; delivery can be more important when deciding whether to place and order and complete a purchase&period; To solve this&comma; businesses could offer free or discounted delivery&period; Additionally&comma; only using high-quality services from experts like <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;whistl&period;co&period;uk&sol;international&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">Whistl<&sol;a> can reassure customers by offering reliable and timely delivery&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Quality of Website<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Without visiting physical premises&comma; the only impression customers have of a brand is the website&period; This is particularly true with the <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;independent&period;co&period;uk&sol;news&sol;business&sol;news&sol;uk-largest-online-retailers-sales-rise-12-months-asos-ocado-a8237081&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">rise of online-only businesses<&sol;a>&period; This means the quality of the site can impact whether shoppers decide to place an order&period; When referring to quality&comma; this includes a range of factors such as high-resolution images&comma; quality product descriptions&comma; ease of navigation&comma; loading time and mobile compatibility&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Reviews and Reputation<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Although there are many ecommerce giants out there that customers know and trust&comma; when deciding whether to purchase from a new website&comma; potential shoppers often turn to reviews&period; These can provide information about everything from customer experience and products&comma; to the checkout process and shipping&period; As such&comma; it is vitally important for online businesses to focus on customer experience – this could lead to more positive reviews and attract new shoppers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Save and Share<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Not all shoppers like to purchase an item straight away&period; Whether this is because they are waiting for pay day&comma; are in a rush and do not have the time&comma; or want to consider their options&comma; having the ability to save items for later can be beneficial&period; In addition&comma; customers often like to be able to share products on social media&comma; such as on Pinterest and Facebook&period; This also benefits ecommerce companies by providing free advertising&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><strong>Final Thoughts<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">As an owner of an ecommerce store&comma; making improvements such as enhancing security&comma; offering top delivery services and working to improve your online reputation&comma; could impact customer behaviour in a positive way&period; This includes an increase in shopper confidence and a reduction in abandoned carts&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;