MX 03/03/15

Mexico City

Survey highlights preferences for in-store purchases, mobile usage and expedited shipping

Today, UPS® (NYSE: UPS), a global leader in logistics transportation services, and comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released the second  UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper™global study highlighting emerging trends from the leading e-commerce markets in Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Some of the global findings include:

• Online shoppers want alternative delivery locations and more payment options
• Mobile is a catalyst to omnichannel shopping and retailers should address limitations
• Free shipping is still important along with a greater emphasis on returns

In-Store Purchases

Mexico online shoppers have an eclectic style, purchasing more in store than any region, yet extensively using mobile and social media when shopping online. When shopping with multi-channel retailers, Mexican consumers have the highest preference for purchasing in a physical store at 45%, while 44% prefer to purchase online, either on their laptop or smartphone.

Mobile and Online research

Having access to the Internet and reviewing information about a product via mobile devices has modified buying behavior. According to the study, 44% said they use their smartphones to research products before visiting a store. Online Shoppers in Mexico also indicated:

• When they are at a store, more than 40% use their smartphones in order to compare prices and/or review additional information about the products
• 57% download mobile apps from their favorite brands in order to keep up-to-date information such as special sales, coupons or purchase incentives
• 70% said the major reason why they bought products on the Internet instead of in store is because they discovered a better price online

Shipping Options

Online shoppers in Mexico view expedited shipping options more important than consumers in Asia, Europe and the United States. For domestic deliveries, 45% said they were only willing to wait 1-3 days for shipping. If the shipping is free, 67% said they will wait 1-3 additional days. For international orders, the most selected delivery time is 2 days in transit (25%) followed by 3-5 days in transit (24%) and next day delivery (21%). However, if the delivery is free, 54% said they would wait additional 5 days or more.

An efficient delivery process is key to driving online purchases, with delivery times being the major purchasing decision factor (18%), followed by retailer reputation (17%) and product information (16%).  

Social Media Drives Online Sales

Globally, online shopping has been strongly influenced by social media, especially in Mexico. Three out of every four consumers, and 80% of the millennials surveyed, said social media influences their purchase decisions. Facebook is the most widely used social platform (94%), followed by Google + (68%), Twitter (66%) and Instagram (39%). Online shoppers take advantage of these networks in order to post their opinions on products and the purchase process: 92% do so on Facebook; 41% on Twitter; 25% on Google+; 15% on Instagram; and 6% on Pinterest.

 Return Policies Affect Purchase Decisions

In general, online shoppers in Mexico are happy with post-purchase services such as  e-mails confirming product delivery (75%), the possibility of tracking online purchases (73%), easy-to-understand returns policies (60%), and the flexibility to choose their product delivery date (55%).

“At UPS, we’re constantly looking for ways to better understand and anticipate the needs of our customers,” said Michael Cuesta, marketing director, UPS Mexico. “The UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper™ study gives us deeper insights into the psyche of the Mexican shopper. We’ve learned consumers choose the channels which best suit them before, during and after making purchases. This is why UPS offers customers technology that provides visibility and the ability to personalize the delivery process with solutions such as UPS My Choice™ and the UPS Access Point™ Network.”

Click on this animated map to learn more about each market, and click on this link to access the press room.

About the UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper™ study 

The global study is based on a comScore survey of more than 19,000 frequent online shoppers in the U.S., Brazil, Europe (France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK), Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea), and Mexico.

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in digital measurement and analytics, delivering insights on web, mobile and TV consumer behavior that enable clients to maximize the value of their digital investments. For further information, visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo

About UPS

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the web at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at longitudes.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.