More than half of online shoppers are open to the idea of buying gifts from abroad for the upcoming festive season, though there are several potential factors that could stop them from doing so, according to research from Logistyx Technologies.
The survey of 2,035 online consumers in the UK, Australia, Germany, and the USA, conducted by Censuswide, found that 55% of consumers would consider buying gifts from other countries.
However, the ability to easily track orders online, easy returns processes, being given an estimated delivery time, delivery charges, and additional duties or taxes on cross-border purchases all play a significant role in consumers deciding to buy products from other countries or not.
Meanwhile, 71% of consumers take a long hard look at the price of a product when deciding whether to purchase their Christmas gifts from companies based in other countries. And 69% are influenced by the uniqueness of products, while 60% factor in holiday sales and promotions offered by the ecommerce site. Another concern, for 48% of respondents, is that their purchases may not arrive in time.
“With online purchasing increasing exponentially since the start of the pandemic last year, we have seen an increased willingness among shoppers to buy from other countries. However, for retailers and direct-to-consumer companies to realise the true potential of overseas gift sales during the festive shopping season, there are some clear issues to address,” said Geoffrey Finlay, CEO of Logistyx Technologies. “Ensuring they have reliable online tracking of shipments, dependable estimated delivery times, clear policies on returns as well as transparency regarding delivery costs and potential additional charges can all help to open up the potential to grow sales from other parts of the world during peak.”
