Worldline’s new research shows 77% of consumers shop online monthly. Approximately half of the consumers regularly shop outside of their domestic markets, often several times a year.

Worldline’s research surveyed 6,000 respondents from six European countries, including Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK.

The rising cost of living has led to an increasing trend among consumers, with 77% of them shopping online at least once a month or more. In order to cope with rising prices, they are actively utilizing coupons, discounts, promotions, and other measures to reduce the overall cost of their shopping, according to a survey published by France-based global payments services provider Worldline.

The main finding of the study is that, even though there is a new tendency for consumers to cut back on their spending on online shopping, they still show openness when it comes to embracing new technologies, according to The Paypers.

More precisely, the survey illustrates that habit and convenience are the main drivers and that bank cards remain favourites as payment methods among 58% of respondents. However, the data also indicates the emergence of digital wallets as the main challengers to cards. Thus, mobile apps and wallets came a close second at 57%.

By contrast, the survey indicates that metaverse shopping has not met the level of popularity initially forecasted, as data indicates that only approximately one-quarter of consumers in all markets want to shop in the metaverse.

Other key findings

Cross border shopping
Consumers’ pursuit of more affordable prices is fuelling cross-border shopping behaviour. Approximately half of the consumers regularly shop outside of their domestic markets, often several times a year. The primary driver behind this behaviour are the better value and product availability.

Mobile apps & BNPL
As consumers’ habits evolve, so do their preferred payment methods. Buy Now Pay Later is increasingly popular for security, trust and convenience reasons with 27% of European consumers using it at checkout.

VR and AR
Technology reshaping the customer experience in significant ways. Innovative experiences such as virtual shopping assistants and Augmented Reality (AR) are generating greater engagement and fostering deeper relationships and loyalty. 40% of consumers express high anticipation for the implementation of these experiences.