A new baby drives online shopping across the world: study

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A new baby drives parents online to shop, a new study has shown.

Products such as baby milk, baby food and those related to infant care top the products likely to be bought online by new online shoppers, says customer science company dunnhumby, which has mapped the behaviour or seven million shoppers in 14 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

It found fast growth in markets around the world, with 97% year-on-year growth in emerging markets such as China and Poland, 89% growth in new markets such as Thailand and Brazil, and more than 30% growth in established markets, such as the UK and South Korea.

Across all markets, baby food and care products are among the top three sales categories, while baby milk is “by far the leading product for new online shoppers, being almost twice as likely to be included in online baskets as the second most popular products among new shoppers, water.”

Most shoppers, found dunnhumby, are now multichannel consumers, with less than 1% shopping online only. The study also found brands were more likely to succcess if their target market closely matched the profile of the typical online shopper – younger, affluent and with young children.

“Across the globe, there’s a marked increase in multichannel grocery shopping,” said Julian Highley, global director of customer knowledge at dunnhumby. “Growth in multichannel is particularly strong among time and sleep-starved parents, who benefit most from being able to shop any time, without leaving the home. Baby food and care products not only appear in the top three categories, but these are clearly important gateway products for new online shoppers.

“However, the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats clearly doesn’t apply in multichannel – success is far from guaranteed. Instead, understanding the path to purchase online – as well as online shopping missions – is key to brands succeeding.”

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