Shopping online may be the norm these days, but a recent study reveals that a significant percentage of Filipino shoppers still favor in-store purchases.
Conducted by market insights tech company Agile Data Solutions Inc. via its Hustle PH mobile app, the study found that 77 percent of respondents prefer shopping at brick-and-mortar stores over online shopping if they need to discover and assess unfamiliar products.
Forty-five percent of these respondents also said that they had made a purchase in-person less than a week prior, versus 54 percent of respondents that made an online order in the same period.
As to why they think shopping in person is better than online shopping, 32 percent of the respondents cited immediate gratification upon obtaining their purchased items, while 41 percent emphasized after-sale services and 49 percent highlighted accessibility of physical stores when addressing concerns about product defects.
On the other hand, 92 percent of those surveyed said they spent less on essential items that were purchased online. At 76 percent, the majority of respondents also benefited from deals and promo codes, while 34 percent enjoyed free delivery.
Also worth noting is that 71 percent of respondents choose cash on delivery as their preferred payment method as they’re worried about failed deliveries or receiving fake items, a common consumer complaint in online transactions.
Agile Data Solution founder Jason Gaguan said that the competition between online and brick-and-mortar stores is not a straightforward battle. Instead, they are “evolving into a symbiotic relationship” that benefit consumers who take advantage of both channels.