Study: 60% of Romanian online buyers don’t buy from stores that aren’t trustworthy

Business, Digital & Media, e-Commerce, Studies

60% of Romanian online buyers don’t make acquisitions from online stores that aren’t trustworthy, the design and clients comments being the main sources that generate lack of trust.

6 out of 10 Romanians that buy products and services online didn’t make acquisitions from the websites they didn’t consider trustworthy enough. The design, clients comments and products’ presentation in an online store are the main lack of trust reasons, according to a Daedalus Millward Brown study realized between November 2011 – January 2012.

The results of the study on limits that appear at online acquisitions for products and services in Romania were unveiled at ecomTIM, the most important regional event in Romania targeting e-commerce and online marketing industry.

The research, an initiative launched by 2Parale, Internet Corp and The Geeks (Leo Burnett) aims to identify the reasons why a part of Romanians are reluctant when it comes of online buys, but also the differences between the people that make online acquisitions and the ones that never tried this method.

I don’t trust buying products I cannot see

According to the study, most of the people that quitted buying products online or don’t use to do that at all are saying this reluctance comes from the fact that they do not trust buying objects they cannot see. The lack of trust towards online payment with a bank card and the big delivery taxes are also important reasons that discourage online acqusitions.

Nearly a fifth (19.2%) from the people that quitted buying online had negative experiences or know someone that had this kind of experiences. Most of the negative experiences are related to the differences between the ordered and the delivered product, the deterioration of the products while being delivered or the poor quality of the delivered products.

Romanians are buying more online, but the stores must do more to win their trust

The online commerce is on an ascending trend and all the data show that Romanians are buyin more over the internet, but even so, the stores must be more involved and do more to earn their trust. Besides the aspects we would already have expected, such as proper and safe delivery of the ordered product, one should give more attention to design, clients’ satisfaction and products’ presentation. More than that, stores need to promote all allowed payment systems and buyers’ right

Dorin Boerescu

CEO 2Parale

Buying online is comfortable

The comfort online offers is the main reason for which Romanians are using this method. Buying online is offering home delivery (79.9%), possibility to buy at any hour  (72.1%) and saving time (69.8%).

Also, an important reason to make online acquisitions is the possibility to return the product with no justifications (34.1%), an option associated more and more with online stores and not to traditional ones.

Buy online, pay offline

When it comes of the ways Romanians are paying for their online buys, 80% do pay in the moment the product is delivered. This option to pay on delivery is known only to 50% of the people that don’t make online acquisitions. The non-buyers know about card payment and banking transfer as instruments to pay online more than those instruments are actually used by the ones that buy online.

Card payment is some sort of Achille heel for online sales in Romania. Although there are few respondents that know about frauds when paying online with cards, there is a chronical lack of trust in what concerns paying with the card over the internet. Even when they pay online, only 30% ever used their cards online. A more carefull identification of these fears reasons and their removal might generate a spectacular growth in Romanians’ interest towards online commerce

Daniel Enescu

President Daedalus Group

The online buyer profile: man, superior education, high income

One of every 6 people aged 18-65 y.o. from urban areas made at least one online payment in 2011. By comparison with the internet users, the ones that make online acquisitions are mainly male, with superior education, middle aged (25-44 y.o.) and high incomes.

The study on the limits of online aquisitionfor products and services in Romania was made between November 2011 and January 2012, on a panel of 1,550 respondents from urban and rural areas, representative for Romanian online population. The sample was recruited from among the visitors of 22 websites belonging to Sanoma Hearst Romania, Avocatnet, Internet Corp, eJObs, Cauta Reduceri, Groupon.ro, Debo.ro, TreeWorks and Lyoness Romania. Data was pondered to the internet users population in Romania.

Based on this study’s results, The Geeks and 2Parale will conceive and run, between March and June 2012, a campaign to support online commerce and to promote this domain’s advantages.

The research was also supported by online stores from 2Parale: evoMAG – main partner, 3 Suisses, MyCloset and  Clickshop, that offered vouchers and awards to the respondents.