The younger consumer favors omnichannel shopping

Omnichannel shoppers are active participants in many activities, from buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) to buying for same-day delivery. They favor in-store and curbside pickups and appreciate knowing what’s available before they venture out to the store. Same-day delivery has appeal among this audience.

But what is also important is that shopper behavior varies by age, as our Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights survey of 1,069 online shoppers in February 2023 reveals. It illustrates where the greatest behavior differences exist among age groups and what they mean for retailers. A look at how some of our research findings played out should be insightful for understanding how best to serve your customer base.

The 30-39 segment is most aggressive in online activity. One such example is their interest in checking for product availability at a nearby store. Age breakouts are as follows:

• 18-29 (72%)
• 30-39 (75%)
• 40-54 (73%)

This contrasts with those 55-64 (57%) and 65+ (55%).

In terms of age gap – where we look at the difference between the lowest and highest scores among age groups – curbside pickup has the largest gap at 26%. In-store pickup at 20% follows close behind. The 20% gap for picking up online orders in store is also a testament to these impressive numbers.

Post-COVID omnichannel transaction volume was “more” for the young

When it came to omnichannel transactions in 2022 vs. pre-COVID, 79% of shoppers 18-29 and 74% of those 30-39 had completed “more” of these transactions. Meanwhile, just over half of those 55+ made the same level of transactions.