What are our ecommerce buying habits?

When launching an ecommerce there are many aspects to take into account, from the type of product to be offered to the design of the online store, through to the allocation of prices. And do not forget the customer, because many of the decisions that are made before launching an online store depend directly on the tastes of potential customers.

And what are the online shopping habits of the Spanish consumer? It is imperative to know what we are looking for, what expectations we have in an ecommerce, what we like to buy and how we do it.

The buying process of ecommerce customers varies depending on factors as different as the type of product, the physical environment of the purchase and the platform through which the transaction is made. So there are several questions that every ecommerce should consider to fine tune its actions.

So, who buys online in Spain? In terms of sex, there are no major differences, half of the buyers are women and the other 50% are men. However, age is an influence, the average is 38 years. Most online shoppers (65%) have university education and live in a home with more people, according to IAB Spain's Annual eCommerce Study 2016.

In what environment do users buy? Surprisingly, 73% of shoppers do it while they're working. And in terms of devices, more and more are using the computer, the tablet or smartphone to make purchases, although the large screen is preferred to see the product better and 15% do not consider payment by mobile to be reliable.

And what motives lead us to buy online? The main reasons that make almost 16 million people buy online in Spain are the offers they find (as indicated by 87% of respondents), comfort (85% point it as a compelling reason), ease (81 %) And time saving (77%).

Choosing an ecommerce

Once we can define the broad profile of the online buyer, you have to ask yourself a question that has even more impact for an online store: what leads a user to choose between one ecommerce and another?

For 60%, the main criterion of that decision is economic, and makes a choice based on both the competitiveness of the price and the transparency of the ecommerce. The variety of offers and products and the price differences between the online store and the physical store are two of the reasons that most influence users to prefer to buy online.

Secondly, shipment aspects are  also influences, free shipping costs as well as the delivery period and the follow-up of the order. In fact, most users believe that the delivery time should be less than 5 days, and would be willing to pay more for the product to arrive earlier.

Secure payment is another of the decisive keys for the user to settle for an online store or another. Here, in particular, the different payment options and the trust transmitted by the web influence them.

As for the web structure, it is a decisive factor especially in the pre-sale phase, which begins with the search by the user for information regarding the product that interests him. An ecommerce with an orderly and updated catalogue, in which it is easy to find the products and make the purchase, has many points so that the purchase is actually made there.

In light of this data of online buyer’s behaviour, it is clear that the success of an ecommerce depends, to a large extent, on the level of adjustment to the specific needs of its customers. Is your ecommerce ready to meet those expectations?