Nearly half (42%) of online shoppers plan to purchase all or most of their gifts through Amazon this holiday season.
For its report “Holiday Online Shopping Trends 2019”, Episerver surveyed more than 4,500 global online shoppers to learn about their holiday shopping habits and to identify best practices for retail marketers.
The report found that, while a third (32%) of online shoppers start their holiday shopping on Amazon, not all product categories are created equal. In the apparel sector, 43% of consumers will turn to an individual retailer’s website before visiting Amazon (30%) or Google (29%).
With apparel the category most often researched in-store (25%) before making a purchase online, it is clear retailers can provide richer online content to fill the gap created by Amazon.
Commenting on the research, Ed Kennedy, senior director of commerce at Episerver says: “It’s no secret Amazon is a leader in digital commerce, and its popularity continues to grow. Despite priding itself on customer-obsession, Amazon still lacks in areas like product education, inspirational content and fanatical customer service. There’s incredible opportunity for retailers to differentiate by providing customer-centric digital experiences that mirror face-to-face interactions through gift-giving suggestions, personalised messaging and a human approach to the holidays.”
