Reimagining commerce Experience-driven commerce helps shoppers complete online needs, increasing loyalty and differentiationPage 1Reimagining CommerceEpiserverThe ultimate goal of any commerce site is to facilitate online purchases. However, while U.S. consumer online sales will pass $500 billion by 2020, what some brands fail to realize is that consumers dont always visit their site to buy. In fact, the recent Episerver study, “Reimagining Commerce,” finds that most shoppers gravitate to websites to do something other than make a purchase.In todays digital-first world that puts the web at shoppers fingertips, consumers are logging in to complete tasks like browsing, product comparison, query research and more. Purchase may be the end goal for most online shoppers, but a shoppers final purchase doesnt represent the entire journey he or she took to get there. Like a 21st century version of the mall, where shoppers often went to hang out first and purchase second, consumers are visiting websites with buying as a secondary concern. Brands overly focused on transactional affairs too often miss out on other key engagement opportunities. The biggest opportunity is website content. Relevant, useful and complete content serves many important purposes beyond transactions. To tailor websites to the needs of users, brands must revisit their understanding of website content and what it can do for online shoppers.Page 2Reimagining CommerceEpiserverKey FindingsIntents and preferences Ninety-two percent of consumers visit a brands website for the first time to do something other than make a purchase. Even when visiting a brands website or mobile app with the intent of purchasing, a third (32 percent) of consumers rarely or never make a purchase. Online shoppers list desktop computer(s) as their outright digital channel of choice, followed by smartphone(s) and tablet(s). Two-thirds of shoppers expect to make more online purchases in 2017 than they did in 2016. This will be more pronounced among shoppers who purchase every time they visit a brands website or mobile app with the intent of purchasing.Consumer experience Ninety-eight percent of shoppers have been dissuaded from completing a purchase because of incomplete or incorrect content, with a third (32 percent) of consumers being dissuaded every time. Over a third of shoppers (35 percent) feel brands do a poor or very poor job of customizing the online shopping experience, with just 7 percent believing that brands do this very well. Nearly two-thirds (59 percent) of shoppers are interested in personalization as a part of their online shopping experience, and 43 percent are open to personalized in-store experiences. Twenty-eight percent of shoppers chose personalized content as one of their top three contributors to a great digital user experience. One in 10 shoppers ranked it No. 1. Shoppers are more interested in brands tailoring content for coupons based on location (44 percent) and images (31 percent) than emerging technologies like virtual reality (7 percent) and augmented reality (6 percent). Twenty-one percent of shoppers are more likely to purchase again from brands that do more to personalize their digital experience than those that do not, and nearly the same number are more loyal (17 percent).Page 3Reimagining CommerceEpiserverThe big questions guiding consumers online experiencesTo create better digital experiences for shoppers, brands must first understand their audiences.What Todays consumers are logging on to shop for seemingly everything. Top interests include personal entertainment, apparel and travel.WhereAcross all products and services, online shoppers list desktop or laptop as their preferred digital channel. However, mobile devices overall (smartphones and tablets) are quickly growing in popularity. A quarter of consumers use a mobile device very often when shopping online, compared to 23 percent who use desktops.Percentage of consumers who shop online for the following products/servicesEntertainment74%Electronics71%Digital products 79%Paying a utility bill74%Home/furnishings64%Apparel85%Travel82%Personal entertainment85%Device preference holds true when broken down by product/ service. The majority of shoppers are turning to desktop for all shopping needs, but nearly half of consumers use smartphones to shop for personal entertainment and digital products, and over half use tablets to do the same.How often do you shop using the following devices?Smartphone 17% 26%Very oftenOftenTablet 8% 13%23% 40%Desktop and/or laptopPage 4Reimagining CommerceEpiserverOn which digital channels do you shop for the following product and/or services?Desktop and/or laptopSmartphoneTablet63% 44% 25%Personal & Entertainment69% 35% 18%Apparel68% 29% 17%Travel46% 48% 28%Digital Products52% 42% 17%Entertainment59% 28% 12%Paying a Utility Bill59% 28% 15%Electronics51% 22% 12%Home/