eCommerce sales have been growing steady for over a decade. For this year’s holiday shopping season though, Deloitte even predicts a 25% to 35% growth in eCommerce revenue. Clearly, shopper behavior is changing rapidly. And it’s up to retailers to make the best of it.
As shoppers are spending ever more time online, they are increasingly demanding flawless online shopping experiences, with sites featuring beautiful product images and clear descriptions, as these stats show.
Having beautiful online publications is becoming increasingly important for the success of eCommerce sites and online retailers.
Today’s shoppers are in search of a more vivid, engaging shopping experience. Retailers are challenged to create an environment where shoppers can discover and view products in a rich context. Readers want to almost touch the product, and get a real feel of what it would be like to use that exciting new product exactly as they intend to.Online catalogs are always available from your pocket, adding to the Research Online Purchase Offline (ROPO) trend.
One way of achieving that is through the use of online catalogs.
To get you up to speed on this development, we looked at how the readers on our platform behave as they browse through online catalogs. And we also listed all the relevant stats we found in industry reports.
Call it… the who, how, when, and why of online catalogs. Expressed in twelve different graphs. Three minutes from now, you’ll know all there is to know about how readers use online catalogs, and why they do it. Ready? Let’s go!
Who’s reading?
- 87% of shoppers start their product search online.
- 71% use mobile in physical stores.
- 53% prefer to buy at an eCommerce store.
Online catalogs are always available from your pocket, adding to the Research Online Purchase Offline (ROPO) trend.
Viewing which topics?
Women most often view Home & Garden related online publications, while men most often view Technology related publications.
From which industry?
We dug into our 120 largest retail accounts to get insights into their respective industries. 50% of retailers that publish online catalogs are from the Home & Living, Fashion, or Supermarket industry.
Reading when?
- The most popular time to view online publications on mobile is 9 pm.
- The most popular time to view online publications on desktop is 10 am.
- 47% of US millennials shop online at least once a week.
- 36% of men in the US shop online at least weekly.
- 38% of online shoppers find convenience most important ‘at the beginning when researching’.
An online publication offers a relaxed and curated browsing experience that shoppers can enjoy just by swiping or clicking through. Delivering convenience when it matters.
Reading for how long?
Doubling the number of pages in your online publication increases reading time by approximately 40%.
On average, shoppers view more than 200 products per visit.
Reading why?
- 16% of shoppers do NOT know which product or brand they are looking for.
- 31% of shoppers do NOT know which product they are looking for.
- 23% of shoppers do know what products, but are not sure from which brand.
Catalogs can help those shoppers discover your brand and the products you have to offer. Furthermore, it’s great content to serve for the 15% of shoppers with no product in mind, that visit a retailer’s website before other platforms.
Where shoppers want additional convenience
The online catalog offers a seamless and curated experience that leads shoppers from inspiration to purchase. According to the National Retail federation, this type of experience is exactly what shoppers are looking for in the winter of 2020.
- 58% of online shoppers want additional convenience finding deals and promotions.
- 56% of eCommerce users want an easier way to find options.
- 55% of online shoppers want a more convenient way to check inventory.
Well, now you know: who, how, when, and why shoppers are using online catalogs. Can’t wait to get started publishing your own online catalog?
Here’s a 14-day free trial. And of course, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
