Covid impact

The study has been prepared by the teachers María Puelles, professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, and Gonzalo Moreno, professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, on a sample of more than 3.000 interviews directed at consumers responsible for buying at home. The survey was carried out in three waves, taking into account the development of the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020-2021 to analyze its possible impact on online consumer habits.

Following the trend started last year, the study indicates that the greatest growth in online purchases corresponds to the so-called “mixed consumers”. These, who make their purchases both in the physical channel and online, grew 3,19 percentage points, compared to 4,8 the previous year. For their part, consumers who only buy online grew 2,29 points compared to 1,36 in the previous study. Finally, the group of those who only make their purchases in the physical channel maintains its downward trend at 5,49 percentage points compared to 8,26 points last year.

online channels

In other words, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still observed in the growth figures of the online channel. Thus, 15% of new users (whether mixed or pure online) say that they started buying online just a year ago and, of them, 80% declare that they did so because of Covid-19. As of today, almost 90% say they will continue to use this channel, which is indicative of good shopping experiences.

In this way, the value of “digital proximity” is consolidated, which is based on the complementarity of physical and online channels, to which consumers indistinctly approach depending on their convenience. Likewise, the relationship with the physical sign is reinforced, as shown by the fact that the choice of products is made mainly based on what was previously seen in the store. Therefore, the "theory of the 3 Co" is consolidated: trust, convenience and cost are determining factors in online shopping.

V Observatory of Electronic Food Commerce 2020: New normalities

For the first time, the Observatory includes the category of prepared food that, in the case of the supermarket, reaches values ​​of 27% in occasional purchases and 9% in those that are made frequently compared to 56 and 16%, respectively, in restaurants, and 39 and 21% in the case of specialized computer applications. On the other hand, when comparing consumer products with other types of articles such as travel, fashion and electronics, it is observed that, although still in the queue, food and personal and home hygiene have entered the world of confidence in confidence. online shopping.

Customers who only make the purchase offline and the mixed ones go to the store once a week. The latter place an online order every 15 days, which indicates a convenience purchase of bulky or heavy products, while they reserve their purchase of fresh food for the store. For their part, online-only buyers are in the middle, with one purchase every 10 days or so, which includes all kinds of products.

Cost of the shopping cart

Mixed consumers are also those who invest the most in their shopping cart, reaching an annual expenditure of 5.580 euros (17,2% more than in 2020) compared to 3.464 euros (9,94% more) for offline cigars and 4.065 euros (19,6% more) for online cigars. These are growths that, in general lines, coincide with the increase in the purchase of food for the home motivated by the pandemic, and that will probably be corrected in future years with the return to normality of food consumption.

The time invested in buying is approximately half on the web than in the store. While eCommerce users spend less than 15 minutes on average, it takes an average of 43 minutes for a full weekly purchase in the store. The little time spent on the web is derived from the correlation between browsing experience and the use of shopping lists as a time-saving tool. In this sense, those who make their purchases only online are the ones who use predetermined lists the most, compared to a very timid use of those who buy online for less than a year.

In the short time that online cigars invest thanks to the use of these types of tools, it also makes it easier for them not to have fixed hours or days to buy consumer products. On the other hand, the mixed ones, do dedicate some time of their week afternoons and weekend mornings to their electronic purchases. What does not seem to have influenced either one or the other is the rise of teleworking. Finally, in the chapter on purchasing habits, the Smartphone and the computer continue to gain ground over the tablet.

Product categories on the web

Personal hygiene, drugstore and cleaning and packaged food continue to be the main categories of online shopping. It should be noted that consumers mostly look for their usual brands; although, as a second option, they claim to compare all the options and prices before choosing, so having a wide assortment is important to them. Fresh food (51,24%), pet food (42,10%) and frozen (40,96%) are, in this order, the products that consumers declare never to buy online. Despite this, the purchase of fresh products has grown 7 points compared to 2020. This is due to the fact that 27% of consumers declare that, as a result of Covid-19, they began to buy these types of categories online and have been acquiring confidence in this category.

In line with the above, the personal choice of fresh produce and the purchase of the "product of the day" remain the main brakes for the online purchase of food. This is especially the case for fresh produce, but consumers also acknowledge that they like to compare. , other types of food displayed on the shelves. Therefore, trust in the physical sign is an incentive for online buyers, who prefer to choose well-known brands, both manufacturer and distributor.

Usability and conditions

On the other hand, the usability of the website and the delivery conditions (agility and time slots) are important for everyone. In addition, the online consumer increasingly values ​​issues such as shipping costs, discounts and promotions that can be found on the web pages of supermarkets.

Finally, the study confirms, once again, the limited relationship that consumers make between electronic commerce and the environment. Those who express concern about issues such as pollution or traffic do not reach 45%.