Page 28 - CBM11

~ B2C Europe ~

consumer has a choice of so many different providers, it is Capitalising on American trends
important to determine the expectations and preferences of In addition to mapping consumer expectations, it is also
this audience. important to respond to local trends and developments. A
growing trend within the e-commerce market in the United
In general, Americans prefer to order their products online States is the increasing eminence of mobile shopping.
and have great trust in the process. The country has a This growth applies to all age groups. The large number of
population of 258.5 million, of which 79% made an online mobile consumers has a significant impact on mobile com-
purchase in the past year. 29% of Americans even state that merce revenue. Mobile retail revenue in the United States is
they order something online once or twice a week. The expected to grow from $156 billion in 2017 to about $420
number of American online shoppers continues to increase billion in 2021. Mobile sales already account for a large
every year, and this is mainly due to the increasing use of share of e-commerce transactions in total. Last year, one in
the internet. The United States has an internet penetration five American adults was a ‘mobile-only’ internet user.
of 85%, and 65% of those use the internet to shop online.
The average American spends $1951 per year in e-com- Another major trend in e-commerce is the use of online
merce. reviews. More and more Americans are placing greater
value on these customer reviews. It plays a big part in their
Avoid the pitfalls purchasing decisions. Most Americans use search engines
When selling products to Americans, it is important that for finding recommendations. Next, TripAdvisor, Yelp, con-
their standards, expectations and preferences are considered sumer organisations and corporate websites are important
and met. Firstly, the Ameri- websites for finding these
can online shopper must not customer experiences.
be deterred by the fact that
THE AVERAGE
they are shopping ‘abroad’. Less is more
The website must be avail- As a European retailer, it is
able in the right languages impossible to focus directly
AMERICAN SPENDS
and it is best to show the on the entire American
product prices in dollars. e-commerce market. The
In addition, it is wise to United States is a vast
delve into the right product country, with differing
categories and payment $1951 PER YEAR IN sub-cultures and levels of
methods. prosperity. Of course, not
E-COMMERCE. every American is the same
When American consum- and it is wise to determine
ers shop online, they most your own target group and
often buy products that to then focus on this group.
fall into the ‘electronics’ In this way you divide the
category. This category has American market into
dominated the American e-commerce market for years. This clearly recognisable and approachable groups. Choosing a
is followed by ‘miscellaneous’, which includes office items, specific target group means that customers are more likely
gifts, novelty and souvenirs, and ‘clothing’. The ‘food and to feel an association with your store and products, and
beverages’ category is in fourth place. This latter is expected therefore procure earlier. In addition, logistical services can
to rise considerably in the coming years. The share of online be better tailored to the particular target group.
food and drink sales has already doubled from 2016-2017.
Conclusion
In addition to responding to the right product category, it is Expanding your e-commerce business to the United States
also important for European retailers to provide the Ameri- offers many growth opportunities. Because the country
can online shopper with their preferred payment methods. is so vast, with many cultural and economic differences, a
This is key to improving the purchasing experience and ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is not suitable. To successfully
securing a loyal, satisfied customer base. The preferred pay- sell within the United States, the preferences and expecta-
ment method used by consumers varies around the world. tions of your specific target group must be determined. By
In the United States, credit cards are the preferred method then responding to the opportunities that the country has to
of payment, being used by 74%, followed by digital payment offer in a smart way and simultaneously avoiding its pitfalls,
systems (38%) and store-specific gift cards (26%) . PayPal the benefits of the enormous American e-commerce market
is the most popular of digital payment systems. Other pay- can be reaped. ••
ment methods that are starting to become popular are Apple
Pay, Google Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.

28