Although more than half of e-commerce shoppers in the U.S. and U.K. have bought a product online from another country, 92% of those say they’re concerned about a host of issues that come with purchasing from overseas.
In a survey of 2,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers conducted by e-commerce platform Nosto, 52% said they’ve purchased something online from a seller in a different country over the last 12 months. Just over 40% said they did so to get lower prices, while 33% said they were looking for unique or unusual products.
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That said, online consumers also voiced several concerns related to overseas e-commerce orders — 50% said they’re worried about being able to return products, 47% are uneasy about low-quality products, 46% are troubled by products that might turn out to be fake, and 42% are concerned that orders either won’t arrive on time or won’t come at all.
“A lack of trust remains a significant barrier,” said Nosto general manager Matthäus Bognar, adding that e-commerce retailers should strive for “absolute clarity” on all facets of products, including the delivery/return process, details on local taxes and fees, and prices listed in a consumer’s home currency.
As for other ways to earn consumer trust, 65% said that they’d prefer to have a customer support phone number on a seller’s website, while 64% said they feel more comfortable seeing positive reviews from other customers in their country.
