Retail Categories Consumers Prefer to Purchase Online

E-commerce continues to grow and contribute to future retail success, but how much does online purchasing affect the home improvement retail environment?

Below is data gathered from NetWorld Media Group’s 2015 Retail Future Trends, which analyzes the different retail categories consumers prefer to purchase online versus in brick-and-mortar stores.

The study reports that 67 percent of respondents say they prefer to purchase clothing from a physical store and 65 percent prefer to purchase shoes in store. Meanwhile, only 27 percent of respondents say they are more likely to buy home improvement goods from a store rather than online.

Applied to Retail: Consumers are on the go with their mobile devices in hand, and while your loyal customers may vary from that norm, the new generation of consumers is mobile-enabled and accustomed to making instant purchases online.

Create a long-term e-commerce strategic plan, and short-term goals if you have the resources currently. Use platforms such as Shopify or WooThemes, and hosted payment systems such as Paypal or Authorize.net, to get started.

Develop a timeline for adding different categories to your site and a protocol for uploading specific items to sell. Hire a new staff member or adjust a current employee’s responsibilities so you have someone maintaining the website and ensuring all products are up to date.

Building your e-commerce presence will take time, but you need to do it because more and more consumers are moving their shopping online. Don’t forget that your competitors have or are developing e-commerce websites.