In a headline presentation style report, Shopify has predicted the future of Ecommerce. Some of the predictions are fairly obvious – young consumers use ecommerce more than older ones and retailers have had to adapt their fulfilment options in the wake of COVID-19.
Some of the predictions are more like positioning statements – consumers want to help small, local businesses, at least they say they do. Their behaviour and the data says something different.
Shopify’s 4th prediction is in the latter category. The company that is worth just shy of $144B at the time of writing wants us to believe that consumers will reward authenticity, transparency and allocate more of their money to sustainable businesses.
The data doesn’t really show this. Only 53% of Shopify’s panel said they prefer green or sustainable products. It varies by country, but there is no breakdown by age or other factors. In Canada, where Shopify is based the number is 46%.
While we don’t have access to the actual questions asked, it seems that this qualitative survey was a bit leading. How would you answer the following question – “would you respond positively to a retailer that makes a donation to a cause with each purchase?” Most people would say yes – right? No. Only 49% of people are positive about this practice.
Shopify are trying to push more small online stores to local businesses, but consumers aren’t really interested in shopping with nearby stores in order to lessen the environmental impact on the planet. In fact, only 23% of consumers say this makes any difference. This figure is 11% in the US.
The ‘Future of Ecommerce‘ pamphlet by Shopify is a triumph of optimism. The headline of page 25 declares: “Consumers support local businesses on principle.” This is followed by 3 stats: 57% of people shop locally to strengthen the local economy, 41% shop nearby to help job creation and only 35% care about local investment.
Shopify’s 5th prediction is the one that we can get on board with. That comes next.
Download the presentation here