Retailer, brand UX catches up with marketplaces

Almost half (46%) of UK shoppers now start a product search on the retailer or brand site they know they can buy it from, compared to just 25% who start a search via online marketplaces, including Amazon. 

Why it matters

The Shopper Survey report from tech firm Criteo notes a shift in attitude among shoppers from the pre-pandemic period: four in five UK shoppers feel they’ve seen an improvement in both the ease of searching for a product and finding what they are looking for. And almost a third feel retailer and brand sites are more influential than two years ago. 

But … a good online experience doesn’t necessarily translate to brand loyalty: while 58% of consumers now make a purchase on their phone via the retailer’s website while inside their store, 61% report making the purchase on a different retailer’s site. 

Other takeaways 

• The ‘grey pound’ has shifted online: half (48%) of those aged over 55 are using apps at least ‘occasionally’ to make online purchases; 70% will now choose to make a purchase online after seeing a product they like in-store.
• Seventy-one percent of all shoppers reported leaving a positive online review in the last six months, in comparison to 48% who left a negative online review.
• Seventy-two percent of shoppers across all age groups feel the ads they see online are for the products they are looking to buy. 

• Those aged 55+ are still the hardest to engage, but 60% of them do feel that the online ads they see are for the right products. 
• The proportion of shoppers claiming to use a voice-activated smart home speaker to buy products has almost doubled from 22% in 2019 to 39% at the end of 2021 – a possible new arena for brands and retailers to compete with the tech giants. 

 Final thought

“As more adventurous retailers reach marketing maturity, there’s a huge opportunity to decentralise the commerce world and make it more equitable for all” – Ryan Cook, UK MD at Criteo.

Sourced from Criteo