In the coming years, we will rely even more on digital, as COVID-19 has only accelerated the trends. 68% of consumers surveyed said that COVID-19 has intensified their expectations regarding the digital capabilities of companies.
E-commerce in 2019 around the world
- 24 million e-commerce websites
- 2.05 billion online shoppers
- 3.5 trillion US dollars
Since the COVID-19 pandemic…
- 25% of physical retail outlets have launched an e-commerce website
- 88% of consumers tried a new brand
- 24% of men and 18% of women increased their frequency of online shopping
- Local vs international: It’s a draw!
- 50% of online shoppers ordered from an international website
- 50% of online shoppers ordered from a website in their country of residence
What’s next?
Consumers expect to do more online shopping after the pandemic than they did before. This affects:
- 58% of B2C consumers
- 80% of B2B consumers
The customer experience in times of crisis
The demands of Internet users have evolved with the health crisis, so we have a few tips for a successful customer experience:
- Clearly indicate your shipping times and business hours.
- Simplify contact with customer service, making it more available and accessible.
- Allow customers more flexibility when it comes to changing, cancelling or postponing their orders.
- Be transparent and reassuring to reduce uncertainty.
- Use the omnichannel approach for synergy between brick and mortar stores and online shops (e.g. click and collect).
- Provide an online customer experience that is just as good as—if not better than—the in-store experience, with a more interactive website (video demo, shopping guides, chat with an advisor, etc.) and promotion of user-generated content (reviews, product photos, questions/answers, etc.).
Speaking web surfers’ language has never been more important!
ITC Global supports you in localizing your website and in your multilingual SEO activities. Contact us to learn more!
