Understanding evolving ecommerce expectations in APAC

Here are some key findings from the survey, at-a-glance.

Despite the popularity of ecommerce shopping, many consumers still look forward to shopping in stores this holiday season. When asked about their preference for online or in-store shopping on Black Friday, 16% of people prefer to shop Black Friday sales specifically in person, and 9% said they plan to participate in Black Friday strictly in stores this year.

Here's what consumers had to say about holiday shopping in stores this year:

• 59% like that they don’t have to wait for shipping 
• 58% like to bring items home immediately
• 55% appreciate not paying for shipping
• 47% said deals are better in person than online
• 60% feel confident about shopping and potential COVID-19 exposure
• 61% said they like to see self-checkout available
• 41% wanted digital help kiosks/price checking
• 39% want to use smart shopping carts to navigate through the aisles and easily find products
• 28% like to use QR codes to order products
• 22% want to use smart vending machines (22%).
• 78% plan to pay for their purchases using credit/debit cards
• 37% plan to use their digital wallets
• 32% plan to pay with cash

When asked what online shopping features they wished they could bring into a store with them, respondents said they’d like to be able to:

• 65% use promo codes/digital coupons
• 49% see where items are located in-store
• 44% reserve items in their cart
• 44% get free shipping or delivery
• 36% want contactless checkout/payment
• 60% of respondents said they prefer having digital or self-checkout when shopping
• 16% prefer contactless payment options
• 14% like having human-to-human interaction

Online shopping continues to dominate, with Cyber Monday quickly becoming as much of a shopping tradition as Black Friday. This survey found that 73% of consumers prefer to shop online for Black Friday, and 54% planning to shop exclusively online.

Here are some of the key benefits consumers reported for online shopping:

• 81% avoid crowds
• 70% don't have to wait in line
• 66% able to shop more than one store at a time
• 64% like being able to compare prices before buying
• 37% don't want to interact with other people
• 35% getting better deals online
• 35% say online shopping helps them budget and save money
• 33% in-store shopping is inconvenient 

Spending

• 24% plan to spend more money than in previous years
• 45% plan to spend about the same amount as previously
• 25% plan to spend less

Metaverse

• 12% plan to shop in the Metaverse this year
  • ​​​​​​​46% plan to shop using their Metaverse avatar
  • 24% don't plan to use their Metaverse avatar for shopping
• 12% don’t plan to shop in the Metaverse this year 
• 34% said they don’t know what the Metaverse is
• 31% don’t use the Metaverse

Black Friday traditions

• 84% of people have participated in an in-person Black Friday sale within the past three years
• 32% consider in-store Black Friday shopping a tradition
• 21% claimed in-store Black Friday shopping is less important to them now than pre-pandemic
• 60% claimed it’s just as important
• 16% believed it’s now more important
• 48% of respondents agree in-person Black Friday sales are exciting to them
• 25% disagree that Black Friday sales are exciting
• 24% admit a part of them miss the chaos of in-person Black Friday shopping each year

Shopping experiences

• 28% say brand loyalty plays a part in their holiday shopping
• 55% belive online shopping experiences could be improved with customer feedback and testing
• 61% aren't familiar with the term "phygital"