VTEX, a company operating in the sector of the digital commerce platforms, has announced the results of the “Digital Commerce Experience” research on the new habits and needs of the online shopping in Italy, carried out in collaboration with BVA Doxa. The survey highlights the impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior and shows a consolidation of the attitudes for the online shopping and a growth in digital commerce. The research analyzes new trends and experiences in the use of ecommerce sites for various product sectors: electronics products and household appliances are among the most purchased items online and are confirmed, even in the future, among the preferred categories for the digital buyers. The choice of the digital purchase method compared to the traditional one is characterized by three main reasons: practicality, convenience and mostly the price comparability. Regarding the profiles of the online shoppers, men, young people and working people are in general the main digital buyers. Besides, with at least one purchase per week, the “heavy buyers” are the most common type of digital customer with a percentage of 42% on the total web buyers in the last six months. The “regular buyers” are characterized by a frequency of 2 purchases per month and, from a dimensional point of view, they represent the second most widespread type of digital customer (34%). The “light buyers”, who buy at most once a month, represent the smallest share of digital buyers (24%).
Two new ways of buying are emerging from the survey data: “conversational commerce” and “live shopping”. The first allows user to purchase by interacting with the company through different digital channels, for example via chat with a digital assistant, via message or speaking with a virtual assistant. The second provides the opportunity to purchase a product during a live online presentation; to interact in real time with the sales staff and to take advantage of promotions only for those who are watching the video. For both conversational commerce and live shopping, the use is envisaged for products characterized by a more emotional shopping experience, such as electronic devices.
As for the product sectors, in the last six months 75% of the buyers made at least one purchase of electronics or household appliances on the web. Those who choose the online channel highlight, among the advantages, above all the possibility of accessing cheaper prices, the home delivery and the possibility of identifying the most suitable products thanks to the comparison between models and the access to technical specifications. In the customer journey of electronics and household appliances (generally expensive products), the online and offline phases can alternate even several times.
