What We Learned from 1,000 Online Shoppers

When shoppers enter a brick-and-mortar store, they have one way to purchase: in the checkout line. Online, it’s a different story. People can buy an item on a store’s website, using a marketplace like Amazon or Etsy, by clicking on an ad in their social feeds, or — increasingly — directly in their social apps.

When it comes to eCommerce, shopper preferences and motivations have a lot to do with demographics. Knowing who your customers are and where they are more likely to purchase gives you the ability to focus on the right channels — and more importantly, grow sales and revenue.

AfterShip’s 2024 Shopper Sentiment Report looked at data from 1,000 consumers — who they are, where they shop (or don’t shop), and why they click ‘buy.’ While some of the insights we uncovered weren’t a surprise — social commerce is more popular with younger shoppers, for example — there were also some stats that we didn’t expect. Read on to see what we learned, and how you can use the information in the report to create a winning channel and promotion strategy.

How different shoppers navigate eCommerce

The vast majority of Americans shop online — about 80% of the total population took advantage of eCommerce in 2023. While more than half of the consumers we surveyed (57%) prefer to checkout through a retailer’s website, there were striking differences by gender and age.

Shopping preferences by gender

When it comes to where people shop online aside from a brand’s website, men and women prefer different channels. Women were slightly more likely to prefer a retailer’s app than men — 38% vs 30%. And men were twice as likely as women to prefer purchasing through social media platforms. If your store caters to one gender, it might be worth investing in either an app for women, or social commerce for men.

How different age groups shop

When you look at shopping behavior by age group, some striking patterns emerge.

18-34: This is the only age group where less than half of the respondents (41%) said they prefer to shop through a traditional retailer’s website. They have the highest preference for social commerce, at 20%. 39% prefer to shop through an app.
34-54: More than half (52%) prefer a brand’s website, and they have the highest preference for shopping through apps, at 40%. Just 8% prefer social commerce.
55+: Nearly three quarters (74%) prefer to shop through a retailer’s website, while one quarter prefer an app, and only 1% prefer social commerce.

These demographic trends highlight the importance of knowing who your customers are, and how that knowledge can help shape your eCommerce strategy. For example, if your customers are primarily 55+, you may not want to prioritize TikTok Shop as a shopping channel — but if they are primarily younger shoppers, going all in on social commerce might make sense for your brand. And if they fall in the middle of those two groups, it may be worth investing in building out or improving a store app.

What motivates eCommerce shoppers?

If you want to sell more, you need to go beyond where your target customers prefer to shop — you need to understand what motivates them to make a purchase. While more than 80% of shoppers highlighted sales and promotions as a motivating factor, there were some differences in others, including:

Customer reviews: 83% of women said that reviews were influential, compared to 73% of men.
Social media content from brands: Brand content influenced 61% of those 18-24, but only 15% of those 55+. And simply having a social media presence inspires brand trust for 64% of younger shoppers.
Live shopping videos: 45% of those 18-24 were influenced by live shopping, where a host live streams a product presentation and viewers can purchase the product in real-time. Only 25% of those 55+ cited live shopping as an influence.
Influencers and paid ads: Men (of all ages) and younger shoppers were more influenced by influencers and paid ads than other groups of consumers.

For consumers who shop via social channels weekly, these factors were all motivators, ranging from 65% for live shopping videos to 85% for customer reviews.

So what does that mean for you?

No matter who is shopping or where they shop, sales and promotions are the top drivers of purchases. Knowing who your customers are and what motivates them can help drive your promotion strategies.

How can brands tap into consumer behavior to sell more?

The more you understand your customers, the better able you are to sell to them. That means taking a deep dive into your owned data, and also keeping up with evolving demographic trends. Here are the three main takeaways:

Learn who your customers are

If you want to know the best channels to sell on or what’s most likely to motivate a shopper to purchase from you, you have to know who they are. Analyze your customer data for information on gender and age so you can start with some assumptions about their preferences.

Test your assumptions with different strategies and platforms

Once you know who your customers are, lean into the channels and messaging that are most likely to resonate with them. For example, if your customers are primarily women, syndicate your customer reviews across platforms and marketplaces to ensure that they are seen no matter where they shop. And if your audience is young, build up your social channels to promote trust and engagement.

Offer exclusive sales and promotions on different channels

Since sales and promotions are a motivating factor for all shoppers, get creative with your offerings. Offer channel-specific deals to promote adoption and loyalty, and align paid ads and organic content with shopper preferences.

It’s important to remember that shopper behavior and preferences are ever-evolving, and what works today may not work six months from now. As social commerce continues to grow and as more consumers in North America embrace it, these behaviors and attitudes will likely change. The key is meeting your customers where they are today — and having the right data in place to follow them wherever they choose to go next.

Learn more about customers’ online shopping attitudes in our 2024 Shopper Sentiment Report.