1、Reimagining Commerce 2020 Toolkit for Creating Customer-Centric Digital Experiences Page 2Reimagining CommerceEpiserver Table of Contents 03 Ever-Evolving E-Commerce 07 The Privacy/Personalization Balancing Act 11 Beyond Retail 15 Mobile First 21 The Rise of the Influencer Class 25 Shipping Costs Ar

2、e a No-Go 28 Couch Shoppers 31 Guidelines for Going Beyond 32 Methodology 33 Regional Findings Page 3Reimagining CommerceEpiserver Todays consumers are online more than ever. A mere click away from a new bluetooth speaker, jumbo package of toilet paper or fresh carton of strawberriesall of which arr

3、ive on their doorsteps within 24 hours modern shoppers have increasingly high expectations of the brands and retailers they do business with. Reaching customers in a cluttered digital landscape, however, is both mission-critical and frustratingly challenging. To better understand the state of global

4、 commerce in 2020, Episerver polled over 4,000 consumers across five key geographies: the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany and Sweden. The following trends highlight the direction e-commerce is headed in 2020and how brands and retailers around the world can create experiences that cut through the clut

5、ter. Ever-Evolving E-Commerce Page 4Reimagining CommerceEpiserver Key Findings 04 Over 80% of consumers in each of the five countries we polled said theyre most likely to be on the couch when shopping online. Online shopping has become a passive activity for most of the worlds consumers, posing new

6、challenges and unique opportunities for brands and retailers to turn casual browsers into committed buyers. 01 76% of consumers would be dissuaded from making a planned purchase if shipping costs were too expensive. Its clear the Amazon effect has permeated consumer consciousness. Todays online shop

7、pers now expect the same perks that once defined Amazons services from every brand and retailer. 53% of those who said they shop online every day rely on their smartphones. Of the most frequent shoppers (once per day), nearly half (48%) have significantly increased their reliance on their smartphone

8、s for shopping in the last year. Companies, especially those with physical locations, need to invest in omnichannel experiences that travel seamlessly with their users across situations and devicesfrom mobile to desktop to in-store. 02 03 Across the board, respondents with children under 18 living a

9、t home report more significant usage of online platforms in the healthcare, financial services and high-tech categories. While many emerging online applications target the young city dweller always on-the-go, busy parents have clearly found convenience in the same services. With children under 18 He

10、althcare 30% 20% Financial Services 34% 26% High Tech 30% 18%Without children under 18 Page 5Reimagining CommerceEpiserver Key Findings 07 62% of respondents feel that companies should place the same priority on personalized experiences in 2020 as they did in 2019. At the same time, 25% of consumers

11、 feel that brands and retailers should make respecting their anonymity online a higher priority. Consumers are conflicted in their desire for both personalization and privacy. Theyre wary about sharing personal information but also crave relevant digital experiences. 05 On average, one-fifth of cons

12、umers have made purchases directly because of a social media influencers product post. But 50% of Gen Z shoppers and 48% of millennials have purchased products either directly by clicking on a post or later on as a result of the influencers endorsement. As shopping via smartphone and social media co

13、ntinues to increase, brands and retailers should look at their influencer marketing partnerships with a more critical eye. Well over half of millennials (58%) default to smartphones when shopping online, followed by Gen Z at 49%, Gen X at 48% and baby boomers at just 18%. While Gen Z grew up online,

14、 many younger members are likely still turning to their parents for most purchases. Many millennials, however, are now making household purchases and likely prioritizing speed and convenience. 06 Default to smartphones when shopping online Baby Boomers 18% Millennials 58% Gen Z 49% Gen X 48% Reimagi

15、ning CommerceEpiserverPage 6 What does it all mean? The more consumers use their mobile devices and engage in social media activity, the more theyre bombarded with advertisements and marketing messages. Brands and retailers should follow the age-old adage: Less is more. Focus on delivering compellin

16、g content when its actually relevant. Personalization should not equate to opening Instagram only to see an ad for a product you just mentioned in passing. Rather, personalization should be meaningful and contextualproviding the right content to the right person at the right time. For example, a bea

17、uty retailer might send a personalized reminder to order a new product before it runs out based on the date of purchase and estimated usage time. Year-Over-Year Findings Consumers are online more than ever. Direct purchases via social media are on the rise. 21% of consumers made a purchase directly

18、from an ad on social media in 2019. This number rose dramatically to 31% in 2020. Additionally, 16% of consumers made a purchase directly from an influencers product post in 2019, compared to 19% in 2020. Smartphones are increasingly becoming a means of purchase. 16% of consumers said they used thei

19、r smartphone to complete a purchase multiple times per week in 2019, which rose to 18% in 2020. 20192019 Direct purchases via social media adsPurchases via smartphone multiple times per week 20202020 16%21% 18%31% But theyre also getting fatigued. Online shopping frequency has declined. In 2019, 26%

20、 of consumers reported that they shopped online at least once a week, compared to 19% of consumers in 2020. In 2019, 26% of consumers said they wanted brands and retailers to place a higher priority on personalized experiences, compared to just 17% of consumers in 2020. 2019 Weekly online shopping f

21、requencyPreference for higher personalization 2019 20202020 26%26% 17%17% Page 7Reimagining CommerceEpiserver The Privacy/Personalization Balancing Act Consumers dont want convenience to come at the expense of privacy and security: If 2019 was the year that data vulnerabilities came into stark focus

22、, 2020 is the year consumers are voicing their dissatisfaction with those vulnerabilities. Nearly half of global consumers said respecting online anonymity needs to be a higher priority for retailers, adding that security concerns are one of the biggest deterrents to using voice-enabled devices like

23、 Amazon Alexa to make purchases. Across the five geographies we surveyed, consumers are generally happy with the level of personalization brands and retailers currently provide. Most respondents feel that companies should place the same priority on personalized experiences in 2020 as they did in 201

24、9. Germany and Sweden, however, are notable for having the largest percentage of consumers who feel brands and retailers should emphasize personalization less in 2020. Both countries made updates to their data privacy laws over the last couple years, so its likely consumers are 12%61%28% United Stat

25、es 12%66%22% United Kingdom 12%62%26% Australia 28%64%8% Germany 26%57%17% Sweden The same priorityLess of a priorityMore of a priority Compared to 2019, how much of a priority should it be for brands and retailers to offer personalized experiences online in 2020? Page 8Reimagining CommerceEpiserver

26、 hyper-sensitive to marketing efforts that involve their data. The U.K.s withdrawal from the European Union could help explain why U.K. consumers more closely mirror those in the U.S. and Australia than their German and Swedish EU counterparts. Additionally, what people “think” tends to conflict wit

27、h what they “do.” Consumers think they want anonymity, but they act on digital experiences that are not anonymous. In reality, most consumers want more personalized content, but theyre wary of brands and retailers that overstep boundaries and misuse their data. The notable majority of all generation

28、s also feel that companies should place the same priority on personalization in their future marketing efforts. Its worth noting that a quarter of Gen Z respondents feel brands should place more of a priority on personalization in future efforts. This finding makes sense given that Gen Z consumers a

29、re the first true digital natives, having grown up with some measure of personalization integrated into most retail experiences. While global consumers feel strongly about brands continuing to prioritize personalization in 2020, theyre also very protective of their privacy. Most consumers across the

30、 five countries we surveyed said brands should place the same or more of a priority on respecting shoppers online anonymity in 2020. Across the countries surveyed, the largest percentage of consumers that said brands should place more, rather than the same, priority on respecting anonymity was in th

31、e U.S (53%). When viewed in the context of highly publicized data breaches and evolving online privacy legislation in the U.S. in 2019, this finding comes as no surprise. 5%44%51% Australia 6%41%53% United States 6%46%49% United Kingdom 17%50%33% Germany 14%41%45% Sweden The same priorityLess of a p

32、riorityMore of a priority Compared to 2019, how much of a priority should it be for brands and retailers to respect your anonymity online in 2020? Gen Z 18-23 Millennials 24-38 Gex X 39-53 Baby Boomers 54-72 23% 20% 14%14% 25% 21%22% 17% 52% 59% 64% 69% Compared to 2019, how much of a priority shoul

33、d it be for brands and retailers to offer personalized experiences online in 2020? More of a priorityThe same priorityLess of a priority Page 9Reimagining CommerceEpiserver Additionally, voice commerce, often predicted to radically disrupt e-commerce, actually declined year over year. Last years Rei

34、magining Commerce report found that 17% of respondents used voice-assisted devices to complete a purchase multiple times a month, versus just 7% this year. Also in our 2019 report, 22% of respondents used voice- assisted devices to research a product or service multiple times a month; that figure dr

35、opped to just 8% in 2020. Declining voice commerce could be attributed to the reality that these devices are simply better-suited for other tasks, like listening to music, making calls or managing shopping lists, but theres also a privacy component. One-third of respondents reported that a lack of s

36、ecurity features will stop them from making more purchases via voice-enabled devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Thats significantly higher than more practical hindrances like lack of product images (22%), difficulty researching products (21%) and difficulty comparing products (20%). Of the g

37、eographies surveyed, the U.S. is the only country without a national data protection law, and American consumers are clearly expressing a desire to get on the same page as their global counterparts. Californias passage of the Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 which will have a national business impact si

38、gnals a key legislative step forward in terms of regulating privacy in the U.S. The CPA has already triggered additional data privacy measures around the nation, as seen with the Washington Privacy Act, and could influence data laws at the federal level in the future. In contrast to the youngest con

39、sumers who feel brands should increase their personalization efforts the oldest consumers support greater prioritization of anonymity online. Younger generations have come to expect content thats tailored to their needs and preferences, and they understand companies need access to relevant informati

40、on to provide these experiences. Compared to 2019, how much of a priority should it be for brands and retailers to respect your anonymity online in 2020? 14%40%46% Millennials (24-38) 7%46%47% Gen X (39-53) 3%56%42% Baby Boomers (54-72) Gen Z (18-23) 16%39%45% Less of a priority More of a priority T

41、he same priority Consumers are willing to share their data, if they receive something of value in return. Theyre worried about companies like Facebook misusing their data and retailers like Target getting hacked. But they also want content thats tailored to their needs and preferences (which, of cou

42、rse, requires their data). Striking the right balance between privacy and personalization requires true transparency and consumer permission, as well as a deft content strategy that prioritizes the demands of the customer. Most importantly, its an ongoing process that must be frequently reviewed and

43、 updated. Episervers Take Page 10Reimagining CommerceEpiserverReimagining CommerceEpiserverPage 10 Reaching Customers at the Right Time Over 770,000 unique users visit the White Companys website each month. Not all of these visitors make purchases, but the home retailer noticed that many of them wer

44、e close. The White Company used an abandoned cart email strategy to turn 270,000 qualified browsers into buyers. But instead of sending emails in batches, the White Company turned to an AI-powered messaging platform to trigger individual email sends at the best possible time, based on user behavior.

45、 The White Company: Home Retailer In Real Life i m a g e so ur ce : w hi te co m pa ny .c o m “16% of abandoned cart users clicked through the email and went on to complete their purchase.” The Results By personalizing email send times, the White Company was able to engage with users when they wante

46、d to be reached, rather than interrupting them at inconvenient times. With this strategy, 16% of abandoned cart users clicked through the email and went on to complete their purchase. Read the full case study here. Page 11Reimagining CommerceEpiserver Not surprisingly, baby boomers report the lowest

47、 usage of emerging apps and services across these categories. However, nearly half of boomers (43%) say they use financial services platforms to carry out activities like mobile check deposits and money transfers significantly or somewhat. As their generation continues to age into retirement, discer

48、ning healthcare providers should take note of the financial industrys online platforms in order to better reach an audience alreadyor soon to bein need of more frequent health services. Beyond Retail Online transactions are quickly becoming the norm for consumers in industries beyond retail, includi

49、ng healthcare (prescription refill, appointment scheduling, etc.), financial services (mobile check deposits, Venmo, etc.) and high tech (Uber, Apple, etc.). As our reliance on mobile devices increases, there are more opportunities for new apps and platforms than ever. Tech-savvy younger generations report more frequent usage of online platforms in industries beyond retail. Gen Z uses high tech services like Uber and Apple Pay significantly more than their generational counterparts, but we can expect their usage of healthcare and f