Mobile shopping on the rise in spite of working from home

Alex Hämmerli

29.3.2021

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

Today, four in ten digitec and Galaxus customers use their mobile phones to shop. Although the coronavirus waves briefly brought us back to our PCs, the triumph of mobile shopping prevails.

The pandemic has given online shopping an unprecedented boost. From wireless routers to coffee machines to mop heads – today’s customers prefer to get their orders online rather than from brick-and-mortar shops. And mobile phones are the weapon of choice for this purpose. Back in spring 2016, digitec and Galaxus customers were placing just over one in ten orders with their mobiles. By the end of 2020, this number had risen to four in ten. This was revealed in an evaluation of all purchases made in recent years.

However, both coronavirus waves briefly slammed the brakes on this mobile trend. Especially March but also October saw a peak in orders placed on PCs. Accordingly, mobile shopping slumped. This was undoubtedly linked to the recommendation to work from home as issued by the government and businesses. In other words, customers were no longer commuting and therefore less likely to use their mobiles to shop. According to an evaluation (article in German) carried out by ETH Zurich, the number of people using trains and trams plummeted by around 90 per cent in March and April 2020. Shopping from home was further fuelled by the fact that customers are more relaxed about ordering diapers or a gaming console when their PC screens aren’t subject to the prying eyes of colleagues and superiors.

New record levels in mobile purchases were again reached in the summer, which brought a decline in cases and a sigh of relief, and during the holidays in December.

Western Switzerland takes the lead with Ticino catching up

Customers in the French-speaking part of Switzerland appear to be particularly mobile savvy. Since 2017, they’ve remained the trendsetters when it comes to shopping with a smartphone. Meanwhile, consumers in French-speaking Switzerland use their mobiles for every other purchase. If the trend is kept up, 60 per cent of their shopping will be done via mobile phone by late 2021.

Since the beginning of 2020, consumers in Ticino have increased their mobile shopping. In fact, the canton that’s often perceived as the tail light of the country has almost caught up with German-speaking Switzerland during this pandemic. Both Digitec Galaxus customers in German-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland place four out of ten orders on their phones.

Women take the lead

Female customers of Digitec Galaxus have already cracked the 50 per cent mark when it comes to mobile shopping. After a brief dip in October and November, women used their mobile for 51 per cent of their purchases in December. In comparison, men only used their mobile for 36.5 per cent of their shopping. But even here, the curve is on a steep upwards trend.

There are also big differences when it comes to age. Generally speaking, the older the online shopper, the more likely they are to use a PC or tablet to shop. And conversely, the younger the individual, the more that person will use their mobile for shopping.

Product categories that show the largest share of mobile purchases are toys, fashion and sex. By contrast, digitec's range of products – namely printer cartridges, notebooks and games – is mainly purchased by a male customer base via PC.

What’s next?

One reason why mobile shopping may not have been a viable option in the past is that smartphones used to have rather small screens, which made it difficult to see everything at a glance. However, in recent years, the trend towards larger smartphone displays screens has picked up. In addition, many online retailers now offer shops that are optimised for mobile use. What’s more, shopping apps are becoming more sophisticated. In view of this, Digitec Galaxus expects mobile shopping to further gain importance in the coming years. Accordingly, the further development of the digitec and Galaxus mobile apps is a top priority.

This begs the question: what’s next? Placing orders via language assistants, for instance, is already a reality in parts. Augmented or virtual reality functionalities could also be the next big thing in e-commerce.

What’s your guess? How will we be shopping in the year 2030? Thanks for posting your predictions in the comments field below.

Graphics: made with Flourish.

Alex Hämmerli

Senior Public Relations Manager

Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.ch

At Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.

Follow

These articles might also interest you