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Accelerating Digital Trade in Latin America and The Caribbean
Accelerating Digital Trade in Latin America and The Caribbean
MARKET INTELLIGENCE
CROSS-BORDER
E-COMMERCE
SHOPPER
SURVEY 2018
Key Findings
20 pages
January 2019
download www.ipc.be
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from the CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Key figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Consumer Preferences:
Frequency of online shopping - Preferred device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Parcel tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Delivery location usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Delivery location convenience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Country of most recent purchase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Product characteristics
Export country - E-retailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Product category - Product value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Parcel weight - Parcel dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Delivery experience:
Delivery cost - Delivery speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Delivery provider - Customs - Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Delivery issues - Improvement areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
IPC Market Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Survey methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Holger Winklbauer
Chief Executive Officer, IPC
I am delighted to present to you the key findings of the 2018 IPC Cross-Border E-Commerce
Shopper Survey. This year, our survey has been extended to research over 33,500 consumers in 41
different countries, including IPC member countries, Brazil, Russia, India and China as well as Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia,
South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. The expansion in Southeast Asia was made possible through
a partnership with the Asia Pacific Post (APP).
The 2018 IPC Cross-border E-commerce Shopper Survey is The expansion into Southeast Asia has shown that Asian
to our knowledge, the most extensive research project of its consumers are younger and more demanding than their
kind. Its objectives are to understand consumer preferences counterparts in Europe and the Americas. However, trends
and experiences in relation to the delivery of cross-border also show that all consumers have increased expectations in
e-commerce items. Also included within this year’s report are terms of delivery speed year on year. When asked what one
trends based on the results of the 25 countries which were thing posts should do to improve cross-border delivery, 32%
included in the survey in 2016, 2017 and 2018. chose faster delivery.
Each year the survey questionnaire is reviewed by IPC in This public report of the 2018 IPC Cross-Border E-Commerce
cooperation with research experts from its members. This Shopper Survey provides a high-level selection of the key
year, a new topic of sustainability was added to assess findings. In addition to this, IPC members can log onto the IPC
consumer interest in both sustainable packaging and delivery. website to download a comprehensive report comparing all 41
The research took place in October 2018 and the analysis and markets surveyed and can also download individual country
reporting was conducted by IPC. reports with consumer responses specific to each market.
In 2018, our analysis shows that consumer preference for IPC will continue to work in partnership with its members, other
shopping on smartphones has risen sharply in the past two postal operators and organisations to expand the survey to
years. Of the parcels bought cross-border in 2018, 38% were new markets in the coming years. I believe that understanding
purchased from China. Overall, the most popular e-retailers developments in consumer cross-border preferences and
for cross-border purchases were Amazon (23%), Alibaba experiences is crucial for postal operators to develop and
(16%), eBay (14%) and Wish (10%). The majority (84%) of improve their delivery services to meet the needs of global
cross-border parcels weighed up to 2kg (4.4lb), of which 9% consumers and e-retailers.
weighed less than 100g (3.5oz), and 40% of goods purchased
cross-border cost less than €25.
23%
bought on
38%
parcels purchased
62% had
40%
parcels contained
Amazon from China free delivery goods valued less
than €25
Online survey
15-minute questionnaire
41 countries
surveyed
32%chose
47%
want
60%
want
33,589
faster delivery as carbon-neutral parcels with
the most important delivery sustainable
improvement packaging
online cross-border
consumers responded
POST
84%
parcels up to
8%
returned
71%
delivered
16%
paid
2kg (4.4lb) their cross-border by the post customs duties
parcels
To qualify for the survey each consumer had to have purchased physical goods online at least once in the last three months and
to have made at least one cross-border online purchase in the last twelve months.
1%
14% 3% 1%
22%
29%
28%
8%
36% 30%
41%
33%
36%
9% 6% 7%
20%
25% 27%
18% 16%
20%
Question: Considering your online shopping experiences of the past 12 months, how often has parcel tracking been offered to you?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
Cross-border parcel tracking from 80% up to 89% for each of these stages. Information that
When asked for the level of importance of their item being the ‘parcel will be delivered today, at a specific date/time’ had
tracked cross-border at certain key stages, the level was high the highest level of importance of all delivery stages tested,
for all six stages measured. ‘Very / rather important’ ranged being considered ‘very important’ by 59% of respondents.
3% 4% 3% 2% 4%
3%
8%
14% 11%
15% 14% 12%
30%
40% 30%
41% 38%
43%
59%
51%
45% 42%
41% 37%
Parcel has Parcel has Parcel has Parcel is being Parcel will be Parcel has
been posted left country arrived in held by customs delivered today, been
by foreign seller of the seller your country in your country specific date/time delivered
Very important Rather important Neutral Rather unimportant Not at all important
Question: For each of the below stages of an online cross-border purchase journey, please rate how important it is for you to be informed that a parcel is at each stage?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
15%
6%
Office / workplace
Central
collection
depot
13%
7%
68% Neighbour’s
Courier’s home
16% parcel shop
12%
Postal Home
service point
9%
Safe place at
home
23%
7% 10%
Alternative
address
Parcel locker
E-retailer’s
physical store Post office
Question: Considering your online shopping experiences of the past 12 months, where have you had your parcels delivered to?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
Question: For each of the following delivery locations, please indicate how convenient it is for you to have your parcels delivered there?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
Packaging
The survey found that 27% of respondents strongly agreed that When asked if they would be willing to pay €0.10 for sustainable
they would like their e-commerce packaging to be sustainable. e-commerce packaging, 22% of consumers strongly agreed.
22% 22%
27%
32%
would pay
would like €0.10 for
sustainable sustainable
packaging packaging
18%
28%
33% 18%
Delivery
Concerning the delivery, 19% strongly agreed that they would When asked if they would be willing to pay €0.10 for carbon-
like the delivery of their parcels to be carbon-neutral. neutral delivery, 18% of respondents strongly agreed.
19% 18%
34%
39%
would pay
would like €0.10 for
carbon-neutral carbon-neutral
delivery delivery 26%
29%
18%
17%
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements on the topic of sustainability?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
VIETNAM PHILIPPINES
US 26% China 39%
China 25% US 23%
Japan 17% South Korea 7%
BRAZIL SINGAPORE
China 62% China 43%
US 23% US 20%
Japan 3% South Korea 8%
Question: Please specify the country from which you bought your most recent online cross-border purchase?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
UK DENMARK
China 50% China 31%
US 19% UK 18%
Germany 7% Germany 18%
LATVIA
IRELAND
China 56%
UK 59% UK 11%
China 22% Germany 9%
US 6%
GERMANY SWITZERLAND
NETHERLANDS
China 43% Germany 40%
China 52% UK 12% China 26%
Germany 19% US 7% France 16%
UK 7%
AUSTRIA HUNGARY
BELGIUM LUXEMBOURG
Germany 70% China 61%
Netherlands 33% Germany 59% China 15% Hong Kong 6%
China 25% France 19% UK 3% Germany 6%
France 21% Belgium 7%
SLOVENIA
FRANCE
China 43%
China 43%
UK 13%
Germany 14%
Germany 12%
UK 11%
PORTUGAL SPAIN
China 45% China 43%
Spain 16% UK 12%
UK 11% Germany 8%
25
2016 26% 16% 15% 15% 5% 23%
Amazon
23%
Alibaba /
AliExpress
16%
E-retailer
Based on the 41 markets surveyed, Amazon, Alibaba /
AliExpress, eBay and Wish accounted for 64% of the most
recent cross-border e-commerce items purchased.
Other 33% 14%
eBay
10%
3%
Wish
Lazada
Question: Please identify which retailer you bought this particular purchase from?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
Consumer
electronics 21%
Less than €5 9%
Health & beauty 17%
€5 to €9 9%
Jewellery
& watches 11%
€75 to €99 8%
Home & garden 8%
€200 or more 7%
Computers 7%
Other 7%
Don’t know 1%
Question: For this particular parcel, please specify what category of goods you Question: Please specify the approximate cost of the goods within this particular
purchased? (Multiple answers possible) purchase?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents) Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
0.6 kg to 1 kg 21%
More than 5 kg 4%
Don’t know 6%
62%
due to a promotion (e.g. Black Friday), 11% due to high 10%
shipping promotion
product value and 4% due to a loyalty programme (e.g.
Amazon Prime). Free due to
11%
high item value of consumers
free
received
Free due to free delivery
4%
loyalty programme
Same day 1%
Question: Please specify the shipping cost for this particular purchase?
Question: How long did it take, from buying the product online until the order was delivered?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
Customs
Sixteen percent of consumers paid customs duty on their most
recent purchase. The countries with the highest proportion paying
customs fees were Iceland (72%), India (56%), Vietnam (52%) and
China (50%). At the other end of the scale were Latvia, Russia,
Finland and Belgium (all 4%).
16% 77%
7%
Yes No
I don’t know
Returns
8%
The total level of cross-border returns was 8%. Country-level results show that the
level of cross-border returns was highest in Vietnam (44%), followed by Thailand (29%)
and India (28%). At the other end of the scale were Iceland (1%), Latvia (2%) and
Russia, Hungary, Norway and Mexico (all 3%).
returns
Question: Was this particular parcel delivered by…?
Question: Did you have to pay customs duties / customs clearance fees on this particular purchase?
Question: Did you return this particular parcel?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
Tracking issue 8%
Customs issue 6%
Parcel damaged 6%
Provide more
18%
tracking information
Other 2%
Question: Please identify any delivery issues you experienced with this particular purchase?
Question: Which one of the following should the post do in order to improve the cross-border delivery experience?
Sample: 33,589 (all respondents)
NETHERLANDS: E-COMMERCE
M-commerce sales to grow by more than 30% a year to 2022
more info
Ahold Delhaize accounts for 12.1% of the Dutch Media products
Zalando 4.4% 5.6%
Apparel & footwear
e-commerce market through its supermarket brands and 5% RFS Holding 6.0% 5.6%
online marketplace bol.com. In 2017, bol.com reported 29%
growth in sales. During the year, the site launched a Coolblue 3.1% 5.1%
Consumer electronics
subscription service offering consumers faster and lower-cost 0% Apple 1.9% 3.1%
deliveries. It also invested €100m in a new fulfilment centre 3% 6% 9% 12% 15% 18%
to improve deliveries in the Netherlands and Belgium. Other 84.6% 68.5%
CAGR 2013-17
Source: Euromonitor International, PostNL annual report 2017, Ahold Delhaize annual report 2017, IPC analysis
Note: Regional values refer to unweighted averages calculated using data from 49 countries based upon IPC’s regional classification. European averages are based upon data from 28 countries. Bubble size for leading e-commerce sectors refers to
relative share of e-commerce sales.
Target group: Frequent cross-border online shoppers, who have bought physical goods online at least once in the last three
months and have made a cross-border online purchase in the past year. The target group was determined by quotas based on
the age and gender profile of the online popular per country.
Methodology: Quantitative research using online access panels supplied by Research Now SSI. Fieldwork took place from 2 to
23 October 2018.
Sample size: 33,589 completed responses for all the markets. The sample size was 500 or 1000 respondents for 38 of the 41
survey countries (a smaller sample size was used in Luxembourg, Cyprus and Iceland).
Access to the full research findings and reports for each of the 41 countries is restricted to IPC members at www.ipc.be/shopper.