The latest online shopping trends - Which products do Slovenians prefer to buy online?

Ljubljana, July 2022 | At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, as many as 15 million buyers moved online and by 2021, e-shopping has become a habit, and something completely generally accepted. At the same time, consumer expectations have also increased. So, for consumers, there are almost no barriers to what they can and can't order online. In the last two years, e-commerce has seen incredible growth. We were interested in what the habits of Slovenians are when it comes to online shopping and which categories of products we prefer to buy.

As the world becomes increasingly digital, consumerism is becoming less encumbered by technical, logistical, and economic constraints, allowing consumers to shop whenever, wherever they want, in stores or online. Due to the pandemic, e-commerce has never been more successful and more accepted. Therefore, it is no longer just a shopping channel, but a part of everyday life.

The E-shopper barometer 2021 is a survey conducted by DPDgroup for the sixth year in a row. It is one of the largest surveys on the development of e-commerce and the latest trends and habits of e-buyers, in which 23,394 participants from 21 European countries took part. It showed that last year in Slovenia, regular e-buyers represented 46 % of all e-buyers here (vs. 48 % in Europe). Their purchases represented as much as 86 % of all e-purchases, both here and at the European level.

Most Slovenian e-buyers believe that e-shopping means a great saving of money and time and that it is less stressful than shopping in physical stores, which is certainly one of the important reasons for the growth of e-business. The research showed that the 3 best-selling categories in our country are fashion products (58 %), shoes (50 %) and health & beauty (48 %).

Slovenian e-shoppers are also very active on social networks, which play an important role in their online shopping journey as a source of information, driver or obstacle when choosing e-retailers. 72 % of respondents choose e-commerce based on social networks and influencers!

DPDgroup found that, in general, people are still very satisfied with the delivery. Home delivery remains the most popular delivery method in 2021, even more so than in 2019. It is interesting, however, that in 2021 delivery to work or the workplace started to be used more often.

At the same time, they noticed that the OOH network ("Out of home") is not yet fully developed in Slovenia, which includes Pickup points and parcel locekrs, while in Europe (in DPDgroup) such methods of picking up parcels are very popular. Picking up a parcel at the Pickup point is the second most popular, followed by pick-up at parcel lockers. Despite this, they note that the trend is also developing more and more in Slovenia from year to year.

Flexibility and the choice of a one-hour time window for delivery remain the main advantages and preferences for Slovenian e-buyers, followed by the choice of delivery date, next-day delivery and notification via SMS/Viber/e-mail. 42 % of them would make a purchase earlier if they knew that the parcel was delivered by a delivery service that offers a 1-hour delivery time frame. All of the above is more important to buyers than in 2019, which is why DPD has adapted to these trends extremely well.

Easy returns also remain an important advantage of delivery services. The research shows that 10 % of all purchased items (in Slovenia and in Europe) are returned and as many as 54 % of respondents believe that the return was quick and easy.

The main source of e-commerce remains the question of sustainability. Green delivery options are of interest to 7 out of 10 Slovenian regular e-shoppers, and 61 % consider it important to choose brands and manufacturers that offer more sustainable options (vs. 69 % in Europe). 68 % are even willing to leave the site and seek a more sustainable delivery option elsewhere. 38 % of Slovenian e-buyers are ready to pay a premium price for products and services that respect the environment.

The research showed that consumer expectations have become higher and that they have begun to pay more and more attention to details, and their focus is now on some other segments besides delivery itself (such as sustainability, alternative delivery locations, etc.). As a result of the pandemic, social awareness has contributed to the boom in conscientious e-shopping, which we consumers are increasingly striving for. Consumers are thinking more than ever about the impact of their purchases on their local communities and their social and environmental responsibility.

You can read more about the segmentation of e-shoppers and their habits at https://www.dpd.com/si/en/e-shoppers/, at the link https://www.dpd.com/group/en/eshoppers-behavior/  you can find an online e-shopper comparison tool where you can easily filter the markets and different categories covered by the survey.