Why Do People Shop Online?
There’s no denying that more and more people are shopping online every day. But why do people shop online instead of visiting a brick-and-mortar store, where they can get a feel of the products in person?
According to the latest statistics, the ease and convenience of online shopping dominate consumers’ list of top reasons to shop online, with around half of their main motivations directly related to these factors.
The top reason consumers prefer to buy items online is the free shipping option offered by ecommerce stores. Over half (50.8%) of consumers list it as one of the main reasons they shop online.
In other words, they would much rather enjoy the ease of having their purchase delivered to them at no cost instead of going out to a store to physically view and inspect the product, purchase it, and obtain it immediately after purchase—even if it means having to wait.
But the amount of time they have to spend waiting for the product to be delivered also has a role to play in consumers’ willingness to shop online. In fact, 27.7% of consumers say among their top reasons to shop online is the quick, next-day delivery a store offers. So aside from enjoying free delivery services, online shoppers also want to receive their products as quickly as possible.
The convenience of getting purchases sent to them that online shopping offers also extends to having to return the product. Of internet users’ top reasons to shop online, an easy returns policy is one of them. Just under one-third of online shoppers (30.8%) say it’s a motivating factor behind their online purchases.
Another factor related to convenience is the quick checkout process, for which 27.6% of consumers list as one of their main reasons to shop online.
Why shop online: factors beyond convenience
Though ease and comfort form the basis for the popularity of online shopping, there are other reasons consumers enjoy it.
For some of them, the ability to save money is also one of their top reasons to shop online. Statistics show that 38.7% of consumers say having coupons and discounts to apply to their online purchases drives them to shop online, while 24.5% do so to collect loyalty points. Additionally, 17% also enjoy being able to spread out their payments with no added interest.