Consumers prioritize shipping in online shopping
When consumers shop online, one factor about shipping influences them more than any other.
Shipping costs are the top factor when it comes to shopping online, according to a new consumer survey from mobile e-commerce platform Wish. Most (85%) consumers said they would prioritize shopping on e-commerce platforms with free or flat-rate shipping, and 80% of respondents are influenced by shipping costs when they shop online.
Low or flat-rate shipping costs are so important to respondents that almost 90% say high shipping fees would cause them to avoid certain platforms entirely, and 70% say they spend more to reach a minimum cost threshold for cheaper shipping. In addition, nearly two-thirds say they regularly cancel an online purchase due to high shipping costs.
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The survey further revealed that low shipping costs are more important to surveyed shoppers than quick delivery times. Three in four respondents ranked low shipping costs as important, as opposed to 60% of shoppers who cited quick delivery times as important.
Additional key findings of the survey include:
- 85% of respondents expect to pay no more than $10 in shipping, while 42% expect free shipping.
- Nearly half of millennial respondents (49%) are likely to shop online at least weekly, leading all generations.
- Low shipping costs are less important to Gen Z (56%) respondents compared to all other generations, including millennials (71%), Gen X (78%), boomers (82%), and silent (85%).
- Roughly four in five millennial (79%) and Gen Z respondents (81%) are more likely to shop online when there is a shipping deal.
- Nearly four in five respondents (79%) expect to pay more for international shipping compared to domestic.
“Online shopping should be a journey of excitement and discovery, and too often this experience is soured when shoppers get stung by high shipping fees,” said Mauricio Monico, chief merchant officer, product at Wish. “How we shop online continues to evolve, but the experience should stay convenient and accessible without pricing out consumers. The results of the survey reiterate that the shopping journey doesn’t stop at checkout, and today’s shoppers want shipping to be as painless and affordable as possible.”
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Wish and strategic insights agency Opinium surveyed 2,000 people in the U.S. in January 2023 over the age of 18. A majority of respondents identified themselves as either millennials, Gen X or boomers, and over half of respondents earn less than $50,000 annually.
This story originally appeared on Chain Store Age.