Consumer Liking For Online Shopping Decreases

Two fifths of consumer respondents across Europe (40%) state that not being able to try on clothes before they buy negatively impacts their experience of online shopping.

New research from Sony has looked into the priorities and preferences of both retailers and consumers across Europe, revealing the beginning of a shift in omnichannel balance between in-store and online shopping.

In tandem with Censuswide, Sony’s State of Retail Technology Report 2024 surveyed just over 1000 respondents across retail technology decision makers and consumer shoppers in Europe to get a clearer view of shopping preferences, priorities and how macroeconomic factors have had an impact.

The rise of ecommerce has long presented a continually evolving challenge for high street retailers and shopping malls. Its convenience, competitive pricing and data-led personalised customer journeys have had a big impact on consumer behaviour. This has historically led to a decline in footfall and in-store share-of-wallet, and ultimately has seen some stores closing their doors around the world. However, we may be seeing the start of a shift in this story as of those European retailers surveyed, 50% hadn’t experienced any closures in the last twelve months (44% in the UK) and, in fact, 3% had even seen new store openings (only 1% in the UK).

Just over half (57%) of consumers across Europe – and 49% in the UK – stated that the rising cost of living was stopping them from shopping in-store. And with over half (57% across Europe; 53% in the UK) also agreeing that the biggest draw for using online shopping is the attractive pricing with lower premiums, the story is becoming clearer.

Two fifths of consumer respondents across Europe (40%) and nearly half (45%) in the UK state that not being able to try on clothes before they buy negatively impacts their experience of online shopping, as well as 45% of European respondents and 50% in the UK saying that not being able to assess the quality of an item before buying is another negative point to the ecommerce experience.

These are clear opportunities for in-store to work in harmony with online, especially when over a fifth of European respondents – and two fifths in the UK – admit to preferring to “browse” on the high street, but there are some reasons consumers might overlook these and opt for online:

41% stated that retailers should prioritise loyalty and reward schemes (51% in the UK). 24% stated that being able to buy online and return in store would make them more likely to shop in person (22% in the UK). 16–24-year-olds expressed the importance of brand loyalty, with one-fifth (20%) stating they would visit the high street for a specific brand

37% stated that they would choose in-store shopping over online for general browsing

There is a clear demand from today’s consumers for their in-store shopping experience to better reflect the seamless experience delivered when online shopping. In fact, 66% of European retailers in the survey (61% in the UK) acknowledged this, stating that they didn’t think they had the necessary technology in place to achieve a great customer journey in-store.