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

In this final episode, we dive into the rise of a consumer who is both local and omnichannel. Retailers are reinventing themselves to meet expectations for proximity and responsibility, adopting solutions like Click & Collect and pedestrian drive-up. This evolution brings new challenges for e-merchants, who must optimize the customer experience across all channels to adapt to ever-changing shopping behaviors.

Consumers faced conflicting demands during 2020 but wanted to consume wisely by choosing more responsible delivery methods and focusing on local businesses. This has translated into an increase in click and collect and a need to develop services to provide a seamless customer experience across all channels.

7. Customers are local and omnichannel

LOCAL SUPPORT FOR CHANGE

The second lockdown was a blow to “non-essential” businesses and highlighted how few small businesses have websites that can enable online selling. Local initiatives to help traders switch to e-commerce have multiplied, with the help of local communities, Chambers of Commerce and the government, which authorised click and collect during lockdown and set out a target for 50% of shops to move online by 2021. As for the big brands, they needed to react and capitalise on the lessons from spring - using click and collect, of course, but also new buying methods such as call & collect, shop & go and scheduled appointments. These new ways of buying and collecting allowed them to maintain a particular level of turnover while meeting the demands of those consumers who were more concerned about the ecological impact of their purchases. Mobile phones were of course integrated into this buying process, with closed shops encouraging people to use an app by displaying download details and other information on their shop windows, helping to trigger purchases before people arrived home.

THE CUSTOMER IS COMMITTED

Before lockdown, 28% of online shoppers were already using click and collect and 68% were using pick up points (Fevad/Médiamétrie barometer, January 2020). With restrictions to movement, one might have assumed that home delivery would entice customers massively - but some brands saw click and collect deliveries double. Worldwide, there was a 29% increase in click and collect measured during the first week of March (Nielsen Survey). This method corresponds to the ecological awareness of the consumer, who prefers to travel to collect their parcel than have it delivered. Taking into account the restrictions on movement, we have also seen the concept of the “drive-in pedestrian”, contradictory terms that make us smile but which illustrate the mixture of concepts well. All this leads to a multiplication of purchasing and delivery methods that brands must not neglect.

CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A GOOD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

To create the best customer experience, websites need to be able to offer a service which shows up-to-date stock levels and precise delivery times or availability. Not to mention the use of online marketplaces, which also saw an increase during this period.

BEST PRACTICES

Post-Covid commerce will be more omnichannel than ever, as consumers have experimented with more practical ways of shopping to match their changing behaviour in the face of changing circumstances. To take advantage of this, online sellers must remember to:

- OPTIMISE THEIR ORDERING PROCESS, most notably with up to date information on stock by point of sale and flexibility in delivery and collection methods.

- THINK ABOUT THE CUSTOMER’S LOCATION WHEN PERSONALISING THE EXPERIENCE: product assortments, promotions and collection methods can vary according to the shop or channel (particularly for online marketplaces).

- OFFER A CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE TAILORED TO DIFFERENT DEVICES, notably for product search, because customers would rather use a search engine than navigate via a menu when they are on their smartphone.

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