In the post-epidemic era, new changes have occurred in Americans' online consumption behavior!

Recently, Dotcom Distribution, a well-known American e-commerce logistics service company, released its 8th annual e-commerce consumer research report, which revealed the online consumption behavior of American consumers in the post-epidemic era and the tight supply chain market environment.

Maria Haggerty, co-founder and CEO of Dotcom Distribution , said that over the past eight years, Dotcom Distribution has been closely following the U.S. e-commerce market , and this year's theme is supply chain.

To this end, Dotcom Distribution conducted research on 1,150 U.S. online consumers on shopping trends and patterns around purchasing behavior, omnichannel, packaging, shipping, returns and sustainability .

According to this latest research, Dotcom Distribution found that new changes have emerged in the US e-commerce market .

While most online consumers are accustomed to supply chain delays , only a few are willing to bear the shipping costs.

The data shows that 72% of respondents can accept product delays, while only 25% can bear the shipping costs. 41% said they would not pay extra shipping costs, and 18% directly stated that they would not shop online if they were required to pay for shipping.

At the same time, some consumers have begun to turn to offline shopping due to the impact of the supply chain. 56% of online consumers said that their shopping behavior has changed due to the continued tension in the supply chain over the past year, and 49% said they are more likely to go to offline stores to check whether the goods are in stock. 25% said that due to the current "new normal", they are more likely to pick up the goods in the store.

At the same time, more consumers are starting to use subscription services and local delivery apps. In Dotcom's 2021 research report, the number of shoppers using subscription services and delivery apps accounted for 25%. Data from 2022 showed that the use of subscription services and local delivery apps increased to 35% and 32%, respectively.

Currently, more and more American consumers are turning to offline stores to buy clothing. If the online and offline products are of the same price, 74% of shoppers tend to buy clothing offline. 43 % of shoppers said they would like to buy home furnishings in offline stores.

In terms of payment methods , American online consumers most want to use points or rewards to pay. 63% of online consumers want to use points or rewards to pay for online shopping, which far exceeds options such as installment payment, buy now pay later , and payment with cryptocurrency .

Free return service enhances the consumer shopping experience and also increases consumer retention rate. 59% of respondents will not buy products without free return, which is 4 % higher than last year .

66% of consumers say that environmentally friendly packaging directly influences their shopping decisions, and 49% of beauty consumers subscribe to a service that supports the circular economy.

It is important to note that demand for online luxury goods is rebounding. In the past year, 49% of online consumers purchased luxury cosmetics, clothing, and accessories, an increase of 18% year-on-year.

In summary, affected by the supply chain and inflation, the consumption behavior of American consumers has changed . The editor here reminds sellers that while they are planning their products in line with market demand , they must also improve consumers’ shopping experience .

US e-commerce market

Consumer Behavior