7 aspects of customer behaviour that are shaping the new era of ecommerce (episode 1 of 7)

Everyone will remember 2020 and how it profoundly changed our daily lives, bringing about the atmosphere of uncertainty in which we still live as 2021 unfolds.

Although the upheavals we have experienced have led to slowdowns in many sectors, we have still seen signs of positive change, particularly in ecommerce. Experts agree that 2020 played an important part in accelerating digital transformation for enterprises. This faster adoption of digital technology was also evident among consumers.

Customers spend more time shopping online and make more frequent purchases than before the pandemic: 36% buy online each week (as opposed to 28% before Covid), according to Selligent. At Sensefuel we have also seen very high figures during the lockdowns, with conversion rates increasing by a factor of twenty on some sites. Customers came to buy, and their determination was visible.

While food may have been the big winner from the first lockdown, the end of the year saw a boom for “non essential” sectors. Contributing to this were Black Friday, New Year’s celebrations and requirements for clothes and household goods which couldn’t be met while traditional stores were closed. According to a study by Kantar/Detail Online, in March 2020, 87% of French consumers said that they would continue to buy online after the pandemic, with a majority specifying they would do so for clothes (65%), beauty (51%) and household appliances (56%).

Behind this general trend, a number of new patterns of behaviour emerged, marking a clear turning point for ecommerce. Consumers in the new era are more mature and more demanding. They expect an effective and personalised shopping experience which is in keeping with their values and saves them time.

We have explored these new behaviours, along with the supporting data, to help you understand the changes that need to take place in order to satisfy the “Post-Covid” consumer. The Covid era continues at the time of writing, but hopefully not for much longer.

1. Customers are in a hurry

THE DISRUPTION OF LOCKDOWN 
Lockdown has disrupted our lives, and the unprecedented and (we thought) unique period that we lived through in Spring 2020 returned again to turn our lives upside down in November. Within a few days, the switch to working from home led to a total reorganisation of daily life, creating an even more blurred line between our private and professional lives.

A NEW WAY OF LIFE FOR ALL 
The March 2020 lockdown forced us to reorganise our lives - following government rules while managing work and family. But the challenges we had to overcome were not straightforward. How do you organise children’s schooling and meals while being on time for a string of video calls?

Even though we were allowed out to local grocery stores, not everyone was able to take advantage of this when juggling busy schedules. Online shopping and home delivery became the best solution for many people. When you’re on a tight schedule, shopping can’t take up too much time. Many of those without a family to manage on a daily basis saw this period as an opportunity to “take some time for themselves”, to discover new activities, take up sport, learn an instrument, etc. For most, this life (imaginary or real), rarely included the objective of devoting hours to online shopping.


RELENTLESS ADVERTISING 
Whether consumers were mainly dedicating their time online during this period to amusement or reading the news, they were always connected. As such they were targeted with digital ads, promotional emails and information about new collections, all aimed to stimulate their desire to shop. At the same time, new activities in the home created ad hoc requirements that had to be met quickly - an ingredient for a new recipe, a printer cartridge for the kids’ homework or an administrative problem that needed solving, for example. A game to keep younger children entertained or a sports accessory for training at home… there are many examples of products that just wouldn’t wait for next weekend’s shopping list.

SHOPPING MICRO-MOMENTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY 
This has given rise to what customer experience experts call “micro-needs”, the demand for a specific product, generally satisfied during a “micro-moment”: between two meetings or before embarking on the kids’ homework or dinner preparation, for example, and very often while doing several things at once. 71% of consumers say they make purchases during these micro-moments, and 1 in 3 do this at least once a week and up to several times a day

Don't miss the following episodes:
2. Customers are digitally mature 
Digital acceleration has affected consumers and made them more demanding 
3. Customers want to be recognised 
The digital maturity of customers is demonstrated by a desire for greater personalisation 
4. Customers have a social conscience 
The environment matters to today’s consumer 
5. Customers want to talk more 
The digital maturity of customers can be seen in their use of voice technologies 
6. Customers are social Customers are increasingly influenced by and attracted to social commerce 
7. Customers are local and omni-channel 
The combination of lockdowns and environmental awareness has influenced consumer shopping trends

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