Pitney_Bowes-2018全球电子商务研究总结报告（英文版）-2018.12-45页-10mb

2018 Global Ecommerce Study Summary Report

Core Content Overview

This report provides insights into the state of US domestic and cross-border ecommerce in 2018, highlighting consumer behavior, retailer strategies, and key challenges. It emphasizes the importance of post-purchase experiences, shipping and delivery, and returns in shaping customer satisfaction and loyalty. The study also explores subscription box services and logistics optimization as opportunities for growth.

US Domestic Ecommerce

Key Trends

• Peak Ecommerce Adoption: US consumers are now buying more frequently online, indicating a mature market.
• Brand-Driven Post-Purchase Experiences: Consumers are increasingly influenced by brand reputation and post-purchase service quality.
• Consumer Mindsets:
  • Brand Conscious: 61% of online purchases are made with a known brand.
    • 46% know both brand and product.
    • 15% know the brand but not the product.
  • Brand Agnostic: 39% of online purchases are made without a specific brand in mind.
    • 23% know the product but not the brand.
    • 16% don’t know what they want to buy.

Shopping Behavior

• Marketplaces dominate regardless of consumer mindset.
• Shipping and delivery are critical factors in consumer decision-making:
  • Free shipping is the top priority (66% of consumers expect to spend at least $25 to qualify for free shipping).
  • 2-day free shipping is now the preferred option, with 3- and 4-day delivery being acceptable.
• Post-purchase experience significantly impacts customer retention:
  • 56% of US consumers feel let down during the holidays due to poor post-purchase experiences.
  • A single bad experience can lead to 36% of consumers shopping elsewhere.
  • 25% of consumers never return to a site after a poor experience.
• Returns are a major pain point:
  • Only 9% of consumers schedule pickups for returns.
  • Consumers prefer returns labels in the box and postal returns as popular as in-store returns.
  • 91% of consumers expect fast refunds, with most willing to wait up to 4 days (except Millennials, who prefer 2 days).
• Subscription Box Services:
  • Offer a unique opportunity for brand discovery among brand-agnostic shoppers.
  • 11% YoY growth in subscription box usage, with 51% of Millennials enrolled.
  • Increasing expectations around packaging quality.

Retailer Strategies

• High-growth retailers (>25% YoY) focus more on:

  • Catering to high-value customers (57% vs 26%).
  • Offering day-definite guaranteed delivery (65% vs 40%).
  • Providing subscription services (65% vs 25%).
  • Expanding fulfillment locations (89% vs 60%).

• Building a post-purchase moat:

  • Fulfillment: Invest in personalized packaging.
  • Delivery: Use tracking as a brand communication platform.
  • Returns: Make returns an integral part of the experience.
  • Customer Acquisition: Build or participate in subscription box services.

Cross-Border Ecommerce

Key Trends

• Rising expectations: Cross-border consumers are more aware of foreign exchange (FX) fluctuations and have higher expectations for post-purchase experiences.
• US consumers shopping globally increased as the USD strengthened, while non-US consumers decreased.
• Cart abandonment is driven by shipping cost and speed, except in Germany where fraud is the top concern.

Country-Specific Insights

• Canada: Prefers DDP and DDU options and is sensitive to shipping costs.
• Mexico: Lacks sufficient localized payment methods.
• Germany: Concerned about suspicious/fraudulent checkout.
• Australia: Only concerned with shipping cost, not speed.
• India: Rarely sees prices in local currency.
• South Korea: Most concerned about slow delivery.

Optimization Strategies

• Fraud management becomes a top concern for retailers entering new markets.

• High-growth cross-border retailers (>25% YoY) focus more on:

  • Diversifying carrier networks (83% vs 52%).
  • Leveraging vendors’ marketing programs (83% vs 50%).
  • Outsourcing fraud management (41% vs 30%).
  • Processing payments locally (80% vs 69%).

• Recommendations:

  • Customer Acquisition: Focus on localized offers and assortment curation.
  • Payments & Fraud: Accept regional payment methods and use local payment processing.
  • Logistics: Offer shipping options and D& T (Delivery and Tax) choices at checkout.
  • Outsource scale-intensive functions to focus on unique value propositions (USP).

Conclusion

The 2018 Global Ecommerce Study highlights that post-purchase experiences are critical in retaining customers, with shipping, delivery, and returns playing a central role. Brand consciousness and subscription box services offer growth opportunities, while cross-border challenges include FX fluctuations, logistics complexity, and fraud concerns. Retailers must adapt to these trends by optimizing the post-purchase journey, diversifying logistics, and enhancing customer experience to stay competitive.

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes is a global technology company that provides commerce solutions for billions of transactions. It supports retailers and brands with fulfillment, shipping, returns, cross-border ecommerce, and location data. The company has a century-long history of innovation in commerce technology. For more information, visit www.pitneybowes.com/ecommerce.