What Does the Post-Pandemic Shopper Look Like?

In a new report from Emarsys, more than one in five Australian shoppers care more about customer service, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, around 28 percent of consumers said they’re more loyal to brands that they have a good experience with online.

Since the pandemic was announced in March 2020, Australian consumers have changed the way they think about purchases and the way they consume both online and in-store. The report found that 42 percent of Australian shoppers will spend longer to consider a purchase than prior to the pandemic.

More than half of Aussie consumers said they would look for more loyalty program benefits, with one-quarter of respondents expecting a more personalised experience when shopping online.

Online retail has grown around 20 percent YoY, explained a report from Emarsys.

“Since consumers have been cooped up at home over the past few months making more purchases than ever online, expectations around online customer service have naturally heightened,” said Adam Ioakim, the Managing Director APAC at Emarsys.

“As the research shows, if retailers are unable to provide an outstanding experience throughout the entire customer journey from browsing to post-purchase, then consumers are more than willing to switch to a competitor.”

Twenty-nine percent of shoppers said they have been spending more online in general since the start of the pandemic and staying online with more regularity. Around 27 percent of the respondents said they were on the lookout for innovative technology, including virtual styling services and AR change rooms. Furthermore, Aussie shoppers explained they were keen to find out more about interactivity shopping experiences.

Some of the largest motivators for online shoppers include the delivery experience. Sixty-four percent of Australian consumers said that free delivery and returns were the overarching motivators for shopping online, with speedy delivery sitting at second place (42 percent) followed by ease of checkout (30 percent).

“While price is still a major purchasing influence, nothing compares to a loyalty program in attracting and retaining customers,” Iokaim explained.

“Loyalty programs enable retailers to identify who their customer is, what they’re buying and how often and then use this information to engage with consumers in a highly personalised way.”

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