Ecommerce shopper habits and the ecommerce market has evolved since the pandemic of 2020-2021, highlighting new online shopping trends. Digital trends and social media have boomed in the ecommerce industry, with customers adapting to the changing trends.
Australia Post’s recent research on how shopper habits have evolved from 2020 to 2022, found that 9.2 million households shopped online in 2021. This was a 2.4 per cent year-on-year increase and equates to approximately 81 per cent of all Australian households. The monthly figures for 2021 sat at a 7.3 per cent year-on-year increase with 5.4 million Australian households shopping online.
The two main social media trends which have impacted the ecommerce market significantly are the increased use of TikTok and the engagement with businesses on Instagram posts and purchases made directly through Instagram, which was seen as Instagram shopping has grown by 123 per cent year-on-year increase from 2020 to 2021.
What are Australia’s current ecommerce shopper habits?
1. Occasional Shoppers
Occasional shoppers account for 2.8 million Australian households and 30.5 per cent of online shoppers. Occasional shoppers average purchases from three retailers per year. Occasional shoppers have a large geographic segmentation in Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland, with over one third of households being classed as occasional shoppers.
2. Active Shoppers
Active shoppers account for 2.5 million Australian households and 26.7 per cent of online shoppers. Active shoppers average purchases from ten retailers per year. Active shoppers have a large geographic segmentation in Queensland, Western Australia and Australian Capital Territory, with 28 per cent of households being classed as active shoppers. On average, active shoppers had a 47 per cent increase in the number of merchants shopped from in 2021 compared to 2019.
3. Very Active Shoppers
Very active shoppers account for 2.5 million Australian households and 27.5 per cent of online shoppers. Very active shoppers average purchases from 19 retailers per year. Very active shoppers have a large geographic segmentation in Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania with over 28 per cent of households being classed as very active shoppers. On average, very active shoppers had a 78 per cent increase in the number of merchants shopped from in 2021 compared to 2019.
4. Super Shoppers
Super shoppers account for 1.4 million Australian households and 15.3 per cent of online shoppers. Super shoppers average purchases from 41 retailers per year, and purchase at least once per week. Super shoppers have a large geographic segmentation in New South Wales and Victoria, with 40 per cent located in New South Wales and 29 per cent located in Victoria. Super shoppers visited over double of the number of merchants in 2021 compared to 2019.
What does online shopping look like in 2022?
1. Customers plan to continue to shop online
The highest influx of new online shoppers in the ecommerce market was recorded in April of 2020 during the pandemic. Australia Post defines new online shoppers as households that prior to their most recent purchase, did not make an online purchase in the last 12 months. Many of the new online shoppers that entered the ecommerce market during that time have now become ‘Very Active Shoppers’ or ‘Super Shoppers.’ In Australia Post’s recent survey, 93 per cent of respondents said that they’ll maintain or increase their online shopping activity in 2022, although there are fewer new online shoppers entering the market.
2. Click and collect is becoming more popular
Click and collect services (also considered as part of online shopping) has increased by 13.6 per cent in the last year. In Australia Post’s survey, customers said that they chose click and collect services due to being able to pick up their orders quicker than delivery times and they did not have to pay added delivery fees.
3. Shoppers are more active during the day
Australia Post found an 11 per cent decrease in online shopper purchases between 7pm and 10pm since 2019, although there has been an 11 per cent increase in online purchases between 2pm and 5pm. Knowing these timings can help business owners plan their marketing content and social posts between these key timeframes to maximise new customer attraction and boost engagement.
The main ecommerce shopper habit changes include;
- The rising use of social media for gaining engagement with businesses.
- Social media entices customers to purchase directly through their platforms.
- Engaging with your business’ customers during their most active windows throughout the day to boost engagement and to cater towards customers’ needs of convenience and timing of receiving their orders.
Have a think about your business’ customer demographic and how you can ensure you are engaging with them effectively and if there are any social media tactics that you could implement to ensure you are reaching your business goals in 2022.
If you’re wanting to have a chat about your future goals for your business and discuss how working with Coghlan can help you reinforce your customers’ ecommerce shopper habits with same day dispatch on orders received by 2pm – get in touch through the form below and include an email and phone number and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.