Consumption trend according to Profital study: search online, buy offline

What does purchasing behavior look like after the relaxation of Corona measures in Switzerland? Profital, the app for digital brochures and mobile retail marketing, conducted a study with almost 2,000 people. There is a slight trend back toward stationary retail, with consumers primarily obtaining information online before making a purchase.  

Cross-channel purchasing takes place

Shopping planning remains important and is even increasing slightly: a full 82% of respondents stated that they inform themselves about promotions and discounts in advance. Last year, the figure was 72% (February 2021 survey) and in 2020 only 49% (April 2020 survey). The ROPO effect (Research Online, Purchase Offline) can be observed here. The majority of respondents research online first and then make their purchase in a brick-and-mortar store. "The entire shopping journey is becoming increasingly cross-media and consumers usually start their product research online," says Profital Managing Director Raphael Thommen, "this shows how important digital communication of offers is." For example, 56% of respondents research groceries online and then buy them offline later. However, this trend is not only evident when buying food, but also when purchasing furniture and furnishings (54%) and electronics (48%).  

After Covid: slight trend back to stationary retailing

Around half of all respondents (52%) will continue with their shopping habits compared to the coronavirus years 2020 and 2021. However, a third of respondents stated that they would be shopping in stores more frequently again in 2022. Men in particular (35%) have shifted their shopping habits back to bricks-and-mortar stores, compared to 27% of women. 18% of respondents are currently shopping more frequently in online stores. However, the coronavirus is no longer a major concern for respondents when shopping: only 9% said they were afraid of infection, for example. Consumers are much more concerned about delivery delays (20%) and product origin (37%). However, price is the biggest concern: a total of 69% of all respondents stated that they worry about rising prices when shopping.   Sustainability and delivery time also important Despite rising prices, quality is the top priority when buying a product: the most important purchase criterion for consumers is quality, with an average rating of "fairly important" to "very important". Price follows in second place. Issues such as sustainability, availability and delivery time are also considered important. Regionality, packaging and product presentation are considered less important and the product brand is in last place. The Profital study examines purchasing behavior in March 2022, after the easing of Covid measures. 1,935 users of the Profital app were surveyed. The online survey took place between March 19 and 22, 2022. Profital is a provider of digital brochures and mobile retail marketing. The app connects over 450,000 shopping-savvy consumers with offers from over 100 retailers and brands at the time of purchase. Profital was founded in 2017 as a Swiss Post start-up. The merger with Europe's largest shopping list app Bring! took place at the beginning of 2022. As Bring! Labs AG, the two apps have been guiding millions of users through the entire shopping process - from inspiration and joint planning through to purchase.

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The entire study is available here.