A typical week for many is a combination of work obligations, family and self-care, fitness schedules, meal prep, social events and of course shopping for whatever food or products are needed. Juggling all of those responsibilities can be a tough task. Unsurprisingly, the most important factor for positive shopping experiences is convenience.
Whether your business is digitally native or a traditional brick-and-mortar store, providing customers a fast and easy shopping experience is key to achieving customer satisfaction. Our 2020 B2C Buyer Report found that 76% of customers desire fast shipping speed and 60% demand a fast checkout experience to have an overall positive shopping experience. Convenience has become more important than luxury experiences such as in-store ambiance and augmented reality experiences which garnered 10% and 12% respectively.
Today, customers prioritize practicality above all else, but that doesn’t mean brands can shortcut their way to a positive customer experience. While having helpful employees was not a high-ranking indication of a positive shopping experience, the top reason for not returning to a brick-and-mortar store was having an encounter with an unhelpful store employee. Customers feel that traditional retailers should master the basics of shopping before working on other, more complex needs like personalized recommendations.
Convenience is growing in importance. Our 2019 B2C Buyer Report found that 62% of respondents needed a fast shipping speed for a positive shopping experience, which means the importance of fast shipping speed increased by 14% in just one year. The second most important factor for positive online shopping experiences in both 2019 and 2020 was easy delivery processes, which increased by 6% in 2020.
For traditional stores, customers want to be able to find products easily. Fifty-six percent of survey respondents said that was crucial to a positive experience. Being able to locate products fast saves time and weighs on the convenience factor that’s crucial to happy customers.
Convenience is not optional, but convenience can look different for different types of companies. Online retailers have to make the checkout process as seamless and efficient as possible and also focus on growing their customer base quickly. Traditional retailers should enable product accessibility and improving their digital presence. Improvements such as these help not only in the short-term, but in the distant future and in the case of market uncertainty as well.
If your business needs help creating a more convenient and practical eCommerce experience for customers, we can help! Learn about our work with retailers, or get in touch.