42% of Europeans plan to do Christmas shopping online

Only a minority of 24% of Europeans plan to do their Christmas shopping predominantly at the traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Slightly more than four in ten shoppers however are planning to shop their Christmas presents by using digital channels like web or mobile web. A third of Europeans plan to apply a mix of all.

These are the findings from a survey (pdf), conducted online by several companies on behalf of Dynatrace, that delivers software for the APM market. The company states that retailers who ignore mobile and web users do so at their own peril. “It’s crucial for retailers to invest in and focus on web and mobile performance to lead in a hypercompetitive landscape with quickly evolving customer behaviors.”

Half of French online shoppers will leave slow websites
Dynatrace’s European annual research into the shopping plans of mobile device owners also shows that patience shown in the past is disappearing: 36% of digital Christmas shoppers in the UK, 20% of those in Germany and 46% of those in France will go elsewhere if a website or mobile app prevents them from interacting in three seconds or less. “The stakes couldn’t be higher; retailers who don’t deliver fast will lose customers and sales.”

Showrooming in Europe
According to the company, traditional shopping is gone. “No longer do consumers head to stores to see what deals or gift ideas they will trip over – their journey begins online long before driving to the brick-and-mortar stores.” It seems that a majority of consumers (UK: 56%, Germany: 57%, France: 67%) will compare prices, read product reviews and download coupons while they are in a store. And when they are back home, another 60% is likely to buy online something they first saw in a physical store (UK: 61%, Germany: 60%, France: 59%).
Of course, there are always customers who are complaining. Almost two-thirds of French consumers (61%) are likely to air their frustration on social media, whenever they have a poor online shopping experience. But it’s not only social media that’s being used to spread the frustration, also mobile app stores are a popular place for such reviews.