75% of U.S. shoppers cite price as a key factor in making a purchase.
Allison Enright , Editor
U.S. consumers cite price most often as the prime factor in choosing to make a purchase online, according to an online survey of more than 5,300 consumers in a dozen countries. 75% of U.S. respondents rank price as the most important factor, while the global average stands at 61%.
The survey, fielded by online marketplace operator Rakuten Inc., included responses from consumers in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, the United States, Brazil, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Rakuten, which is based in Japan, operates marketplaces in all those countries. It is the second-largest e-commerce company in Asia, according to Internet Retailer’s Asia 500.
Globally, the reliability of the retailer, at 49%, is the second most-cited factor in choosing to make a purchase online. Consumers in Indonesia and Thailand cite it as the No. 1 factor, 69% and 65%, respectively, whereas 45% of U.S. respondents cite it.
In the United States 33% of respondents cite having a variety of shipping options as a key factor, greater than the global average of 29%. U.S. respondents are less concerned about having a variety of payment options—only 9% cite payment options as an important factor, whereas the global average is 20%. U.S. respondents are also less interested in on-site rewards programs, such as accumulating points on web purchases that can be redeemed later. Just 9% of U.S. respondents cite on-site rewards programs as important versus 11% globally and 29% in Japan, the leader. Brazilian consumers are the least interested in on-site rewards programs, with 5% citing it as a purchase driver.
In June, Hiroshi Mikitani, Rakuten Inc.’s co-founder, chairman and CEO will deliver his keynote address, titled “Spanning the globe for e-commerce opportunity,” at Internet Retailer’s Conference & Exhibition 2013. Readers can also learn more about Rakuten’s global approach to e-commerce in the April issue of Internet Retailer.