The UK is the third most shopped market for international online purchases for a second year. It sits behind only the US and China and is most popular with the ‘Power Shopper’ markets of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and India. These are the latest key headline data from ESW, the global DTC eCommerce leader, reveals.
ESW’s ‘Global Voices: 2022’ surveyed more than 14,000 consumers across fourteen countries. The research showed 21% of non-UK consumers have shopped from UK retail sites in 2021. –An increase of 5% year-on-year (YOY) from 2020. By generation, Millennial (24%) and Gen Z (22%) respondents reported making the most cross-border purchases from the UK.
In 2021, those polled reported making more purchases from the US than China YOY. This makes it the most popular digital destination for cross-border purchases with 53% of consumers surveyed purchasing from online brands or marketplaces in the US versus. This compares with 39% from sites based in China.
The top five global markets for cross-border purchases from the UK in 2021 were the UAE (30%). This was followed by China (28%), South Africa and India (both 27%) and Australia (24%). Three of these top five markets, the UAE (52%), China (50%) and India (41%), have the highest global number of ‘Power Shoppers’. Power Shoppers are a cohort of consumers who purchased 11 or more times from another country.
The rise of Power Shoppers
The high percentage of younger demographics and Power Shoppers purchasing from Britain reflects the desirability of British brands with discerning shoppers, commented Martim Avillez Oliveira, Chief Commercial Officer, EMEA at ESW.
“From its cutting-edge trailblazers and digital disruptors to the refined craftsmanship of its heritage tailors and luxury brands. The originality and unique energy of British fashion makes it irresistible to global consumers, and in particular Power Shoppers. This is a crucial audience for British brands to be engaging with globally/ Our research shows they purchase across all shopping categories at a 50-60% higher rate than other consumers. The also shop on brand and specific retail sites at over 40% higher rates than average,” adds Avillez Oliveira.
“To reap the benefits of this demand, Power Shoppers must be given a wholly localised cross-border shopping experience. This includes appropriate languages, local payment methods, currencies, and items that can’t be found on other sites. To keep these valuable customers coming back, retailers need to provide a positive shopping experience that conveys estimated delivery dates. They don’t expect any surprise charges, easy local returns/return to store, clear refund policies and reviews.”
The company says brands deploying ESW’s Fluency and Symphony DTC solutions can enter domestic and new international markets in weeks. They argue this is faster than if they attempted to do so on their own. Furthermore, it enables integration into a suite of market-leading eCommerce solutions across store, pricing, payments, checkout, fraud and delivery.
Enterprise Times: What this means for business.
Customers increasingly are demanding quality digital-first experiences that deliver superior customer experience. The Brands that appeal to the power shoppers customer segments want engaging and efficient experiences to deliver to their consumers. They need to effectively understand what customers feel about their brands and what they want to buy. Many UK brands have risen to this challenge which makes the results of this research, not too surprising. The research highlights the importance of agile modern solutions that supports effective customer engagement and relationship management. Something all brands and retailers need to consciously work towards, in order to keep competitive in their respective marketplace.
