• by Ray Schultz , January 24, 2023

Few consumers go on a retail website to actually purchase something. But they are open to ideas, and many will buy later, according to 3 Things Ecommerce Leaders Should Fix in 2023, a study by Lucidworks. 

Of consumers polled, they visit sites to: 

• Compare prices — 64%  
• Browse the inventory to get ideas — 55%
• Get ideas for products to buy at a physical store — 32% 
• Buy something right away — 31% 

Overall, 73% of consumers are open to retailer recommendations. 

When they do place items in the cart, shoppers take these actions:

• Check out immediately — 52% 
• Exit the site, knowing I’ll revisit — 28% 
• Share the cart link with friends — 17% 
• Exit the site without purchasing — 3%

The question is: Which device will people use—will they utilize a different one to revisit or make the purchase?

The study notes that retailers must have the ability to stitch shoppers’ identities across touchpoints.

“Retailers usually connect digital channels using a master customer profile or identity token, regardless if the shopper is logged in or not,” the study explains. “That token is then shared across all touchpoints and passed back into signals so the experience can be connected for continuous personalization. 

It continues that many major retailers “also perform identity stitching across devices using machine learning based on user context and behaviors when users are unknown.” 

Another necessary tool is the search bar. Shoppers say the search function is:

• Extremely important — I love the search bar — 65%
• Somewhat important — I like it but don’t use it every time — 34%
• Not important—I hardly use it — 2%

However, 40% of consumers get a negative impression of a retailer if the search doesn’t give them the results they want. 

“After the holidays, retailers have a treasure trove of data around shopper preferences, navigation behaviors, and the journey from browse to buy,” concludes Sanjay Mehta, head of industry, ecommerce, Lucidworks. “Ecommerce leaders have to prioritize technologies that accelerate relevancy to support product discovery, enhance the shopper experience, and drive sales.”

Lucidworks surveyed consumers in the U.S. and UK. The study does not supply the sample size or the time frame.