Retail & E-Commerce
The State of Retail & E-Commerce Report: H2 2023
Report summary
Sticky core inflation means shoppers’ efforts to save money — by switching to discount stores, for example — are persisting, shifting their retail relationships in the process.
Online shopping makes comparing prices easy, and it’s usually the more convenient option — even if it means shopping at a new-to-you site. On the flip slide, the enjoyment factor of in-store shopping is declining because it’s just not as much fun to shop when prices feel out of reach. Many retailers are doubling down on loyalty and rewards programs to bring churned customers back and cement relationship with new ones.
Based on survey interviews conducted monthly since October 2021, this report provides insight into how shoppers’ behaviors are changing over time.
Key Takeaways
- Online shopping is less popular than in-store shopping: Online shoppers are looking for low prices and convenient fulfillment, making this group expensive to serve.
- Tech investments can improve the e-commerce experience: Shoppers aren’t necessarily adopting the tech online retailers are offering. There’s room for improvement in tools like augmented reality.
- Most shopping happens in stores, but the experience is declining: Some retailers are still struggling with inventory and labor constraints that degrade shopping enjoyment.
- There’s more than one way to measure brand loyalty: While there are many attributes of the retail experience that build loyalty, the universal and transferable drivers of being reliable and keeping shopping fun will go a long way for any brand.
Methodology
Morning Consult Research Intelligence data featured in this report draws from monthly surveys conducted from October 2021 to June 2023 among roughly 2,200 U.S. adults per month. The report also includes data from various surveys fielded throughout 2022 and 2023 among representative samples of around 2,200 U.S. adults each.
Additionally, surveys were conducted June 9-16, 2023, among 13,009 total adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
All survey interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate populations of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age and race by educational attainment. Top-line results from the surveys have a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
Morning Consult brand and audience data comes from Morning Consult Intelligence. The platform helps you understand your audience, brand, competitors and market in a way traditional helps you understand your brand, competitors and market in a way traditional research companies can’t. Learn more here.
About the author
