Even though more than 70 percent of adult regularly shop online, are still more attached to physical stores than comparison countries. 35 percent of prefer to shop in physical stores, and 27 percent prefer online channels; for the rest, online and offline channels are equal. There is a particularly big difference in the grocery store, where only 17 percent would rather buy online than in a store.
According to the biggest advantages of a physical store compared to an online store are better social interaction and customer service. Paying and making product returns is also perceived as easier or safer in physical stores than in online stores. In all comparison countries, the importance of cheap prices is greatest in the fashion store, which is also evidenced by the popularity of various international cheap and fast fashion companies.
However, the customer base is very divided between, on the one hand, very price-driven customers and, on the other hand, those who want to buy premium and luxury brands that they consider to be of high quality. In all comparison countries, the importance of premium and luxury brands is greatest precisely in the fashion store, i.e. In products where cheap prices are also the most important for buying. In comparison countries, premium brands are also important in smartphones, even more so than cheap brands.
The importance of cheap prices in purchasing may increase with inflation and the weakening of purchasing power, and the pressure on international cost and price competition will intensify. The efficiency of procurement chains and other operations will become a greater competitive advantage than before, but will it happen at the expense of, for example, social responsibility.
Even though have been internationally moderate when it comes to returning online purchases, the phenomenon also grew in our country during the pandemic years, when especially online shopping for clothes became more common. This year, the number of digital buyers who returned their products even decreased, and the shares have not increased compared to last year either.
Returns for online purchases of clothes have returned to roughly the level of the first year of the pandemic, which is, however, clearly higher than before the pandemic. Online buyers under the age of 40 are the most diligent returners of products in all the comparison countries.
Contrary to what you might think, digital buyers of used products – and especially used clothes – return their online purchases more often than others. Therefore, responsible spending is not always reflected in the actions of second-hand customers, at least when it comes to returns. A larger study on the trade in used products will be published at the end of September.