Affordable delivery has the biggest impact on a shoppers’ willingness to
buy from an overseas retailer, according to new consumer research released by eBay
Enterprise today to help UK retailers boost their overseas sales in the run-up
to Christmas.
eBay Enterprise’s ‘Buying Across Borders’ report asked shoppers across
Europe to rank the factors that have the biggest impact on whether or not they
buy items from overseas retailers. It found the five biggest shopper “turn-offs”
on making international orders are:
1. High delivery cost (80 per cent)
2. Unavailability of preferred payment method (74 per
cent)
3. Poor product information, including images, text
and video (68 per cent)
4. Long delivery time (64 per cent)
5. Price difference due to exchange rate (57 per cent)
Commenting on the report’s findings, Enda Breslin, European Head of
Business Development, eBay Enterprise said, “European consumers are
increasingly considering overseas retailers as part of their online shopping
mix, and it’s expected that EU cross-border shopping will tip £28.5bn by 2018, but lack of
delivery and payment options, as well as poor product information, could be
harming some UK retailer’s sales prospects in the region.”
When it comes to buying from abroad, the report reveals that the purchase
considerations of European shoppers depend a lot on basket size. Three quarters
(74 per cent) of European shoppers are influenced heavily by the availability
of after-sales services, including returns, when buying high-end, luxury items
from overseas, whereas only one quarter (27 per cent) treat it as a priority when
buying lower value goods like DVDs, books.
The report also found that shoppers buying higher-value, luxury items
from foreign retailers are generally prepared to pay more for delivery and wait
longer for their items to arrive than shoppers buying cheaper, “convenience”
goods, highlighting the opportunity for retailers to up-sell premium delivery
services on higher-value international orders.
Breslin continued, “Just like domestic consumers, cross-border shoppers
also want different services, delivery speeds and price points depending on
what they are buying. It comes down to choice; retailers that invest in
providing a range of delivery options, payment methods and detailed product
information will be able to up-sell premium services to those prepared to pay
for it, without turning off those shoppers happy to compromise on service for a
lower price.”
“Ultimately UK retailers are not only competing with other retailers
that sell cross-border, but with local players too, and it’s not a level
playing field. Success overseas is about striking the right balance between the
opportunity and cost of localisation,” he concluded.
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