Products in foreign e-shops are purchased by a total of 33.2% of consumers who regularly shop online, according to a UCE Research survey. Among them, 10.2% do it very often, 10.9% – not very often, and 12.1% – very rarely.
“Only every third respondent declares that they buy in foreign e-shops at least from time to time. This clearly shows that there is significant growth potential for international e-commerce. However, it is also clear that Poles are still afraid of foreign purchases, although – in my opinion – not entirely rightly. In addition, they miss a lot of good opportunities, provided, of course, they follow the rules of common sense,” said study co-author Maciej Tygielski, quoted in the release.
Moreover, the study showed that 64.9% of shoppers do not make purchases in foreign e-stores at all. In turn, 1.9% of consumers do not remember whether they purchased anything in such stores.
Possibility and safety of shopping abroad
Analysts from UCE Research believe that in many cases, a significant limitation may be the lack of awareness about the possibilities of shopping abroad or the low level of trust in sellers unknown, even by name. This alone may raise concerns transaction security. Moreover, reluctance may result from the complexity of the returns or complaints process. In addition, there is a language barrier, it was emphasized.
Poles choose local e-commerce
“The percentage of customers who do not make purchases in foreign e-shops may change in the coming years depending on several factors. These include, among others, the development of logistics infrastructure and changes in customs regulations. In addition, we should add the improvement in consumer awareness of rights of buyers in the EU, which is still missing. On the one hand, increasing globalization and facilitations in international trade may contribute to an increase in purchases in foreign e-stores. On the other hand, strong local e-commerce and improving the offer can keep consumers shopping internally. Without interventions aimed at reducing barriers, the percentage of nearly 65% may remain stable or change very slowly,” added the e-commerce market expert.
List of barriers
Survey participants who do not shop in foreign e-shops indicated 5 main reasons for the lack of such a practice. Their answers show that the most common concern is a possible trial return of goods – 36.7%, question language barrier – 33.4% and also long waiting time for the product – 29.4%. Moreover, consumers are afraid high delivery costsy – 20.8% as well after-sales service – 18.4%, also reported.
However, the least frequently cited reason for not shopping in foreign e-shops is the difficult process tracking shipments – 4.7%. Quite rarely, consumers also indicate fear of… counterfeit goods – 7.1% and also on lack of trust in foreign entities – 9.2%, mentioned in the material.
The study was conducted using the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method by UCE Research on a sample of 1,007 adult Poles who regularly (i.e. at least several times a month) do all kinds of online shopping.
(ISBnews)
