It’s just about getting to the point right now where trying to define the importance of e-commerce is both impossible and pointless. The reason being of course that it is simply the new standard – web shopping and e-tail in general having become the norm for a new-generation of consumers.
What’s uniquely beneficial from the prospect of the web business owner is the way in which there’s really no guesswork involved. The blueprint required for success exists in the analytical data and hard facts/statistics pulled together by the pros. Stepping into 2016, there’s never been a better time to take a look at what’s been learned in 2015 by the world’s fast-growing e-commerce community.
In the right hands, each of the following facts could be translated into pure gold for the year ahead:
Men Rule the Roost?
If you’d long-since fallen into the assumption that female consumers were where it’s at with web shopping, this might shock you just a little. When it comes to mobile e-commerce, recent studies have shown that while around 22% of men shop via smartphones, 18% of women said they do the same. As such, it might be worth questioning exactly who you plan to target in 2016.
After-Work Offers
Just because every single consumer in the country can access the web 24/7 doesn’t mean that all the action gets spread out evenly throughout the day. Quite to the contrary in fact, evidence shows that an incredible one in every three online sales happens after 18:00 in the evening. It’s a massive spike in activity that deserves to be capitalised on.
Older Age Groups
Another common assumption is that of older consumers not showing any real interest in online businesses and e-commerce. This may once have been the case, but it’s now known that more than 66% of consumers over the age of 50 are indeed online shoppers, in one capacity or another. Suffice to say, yet another example of a stereotype that could stand to harm the web business.
Big Spenders
It’s still not exactly understood why, but what we do now know is that consumers hitting the web via tablet PCs are far more likely to make a purchase than desktop PC users – a full 300% more likely. What’s more, tablet PC shoppers are known to spend far greater sums of cash online than those using other devices. It’s an odd finding, but it’s an important one nonetheless!
Charitable Donations
Among consumers with kids, it was discovered that at least half of all parents would be happier to shop with any given brand or business if they knew their purchase would help a good cause. Even in the case of just a tiny donation with each purchase, conversion rates can improve significantly.
Millennial Money
Last but not least, despite the fact that the 18 to 34 age group isn’t nearly the most affluent in consumer stakes, it is the group that spends the most money online by an enormous margin. So when it comes to establishing target markets, the wealthiest consumers out there aren’t always the biggest spenders.
