Sydney, Australia – Being digital natives themselves, Gen Z consumers in Australia are now demanding greater service from brands online, new survey from digital experience platform Sitecore shows.
About 1 in 10 will switch their loyalty after a poor online shopping experience – most (55%) will give multiple second chances. However, Australian Gen Z shoppers have a low tolerance for browsing online stores, as most will give up after no more than 10 pages of browsing (on average, five pages of browsing).
Meanwhile, a quarter or more Gen Z in Australia also rank same or next day delivery, easy site navigation, and having items in stock as their top three criteria of shopping online. More than four in ten Gen Z in Australia say that having a free delivery option is most important to them in online shopping. However, free delivery is less important to Gen Z (44%) compared to older generations (55%). Gen Z are also more likely to say that an app or website that works well on mobile is critical to their shopping experience (60% vs 49% for older generations).
“The pandemic has tested the loyalty of Gen Z shoppers in Australia, leading them to become digital converts who show less loyalty to their pre-pandemic ‘go-to’ brands. They are also opting to shop more via mobile and direct from brands. Australian Gen Z treats online shopping as an experience to enjoy and expect highly personalized, exciting online experiences that work on mobile and can offer same-day delivery,” said Paige O’Neill, chief marketing officer at Sitecore.
In addition, despite huge patronage to online e-commerce sites, top physical retail outlets will remain attractive to Gen Z, particularly for exploring such as shopping local, socializing, and window shopping—but Gen Z shoppers said online brings the convenience factors such as advantages of availability of products, lower cost, time-saving, predetermined purchases, or just simply being able to stay in.
Socializing as a reason to go back to retail stores and malls is particularly strong for Gen Z (47% vs. 30% among older gens). Gen Z is more likely to say their online experience with local retailers was not as slick as they expected it to be (40% vs. 26% among older gens).