The majority of online shoppers are using search engines as the preferred method to find products (62 percent of respondents). When international consumers were asked what types of online sites they would consider purchasing from, 66 percent chose online marketplaces, while 62 percent selected retailers’ web sites, says a global online shopping study by Pitney Bowes.
The largest number of consumers who would consider buying products online from social media sites were in India (27 percent), followed by Brazil (15 percent) and Russia (14 percent).
Also, online shoppers in India (38 percent) ranked highest for searching for products on social media sites, followed by Brazil (21 percent) and China (20 percent).
Online shoppers in the U.K. (37 percent), India (36 percent) and China (34 percent), and the U.S. (29 percent) had the highest rates for using a mobile device, or mix of devices.
The biggest barriers to adoption of global online shopping are high shipping costs (64 percent), additional fees owed at time of delivery (48 percent) and product delivery taking too long (39 percent).
Product returns are also a major concern, as 33 percent of global shoppers cited online return policies and processes as deterrents. Countries with the highest levels were India (46 percent), Germany (44 percent) and the U.S. (39 percent).
