Croats are increasingly buying online

According to eCommerce Croatia association, before the coronavirus pandemic, 36% of Croatian citizens shopped online at least once a month, and as many as 20% several times a week. A year later, their new study found that the number of those who shopped online at least once a month increased by 2%, while 4% more people shopped several times a week. E-commerce has proven to be resilient to pandemic challenges and as one of the key factors in economic and social recovery. Many companies have turned more to online activities, and customers are increasingly enjoying the benefits of buying from the comfort of an armchair. This is also shown by the latest research on online shopping in Croatia Shopper’s Mind 2021.

Online shopping habits after a pandemic

Croatian citizens are increasingly opting for e-commerce, and in 2021, an increased frequency and intensity of online shopping was noted among online shoppers. As many as 82% of respondents surveyed said they shop online very often, on a monthly basis. Two thirds of internet users in Croatia make online purchases at least four times a year. Although there has been no significant increase in the number of people shopping online, their structure has changed. Most of them belong to Generations X (44%) and Z (33%), and it is interesting that the Baby Boom generation with a share of 30% recorded the highest growth (6% from 2019 to 2021). One of the challenges that Croatian e-retailers will certainly have to overcome is to adapt the user experience and offer to significantly different groups of customers.

We mostly buy clothes and shoesž

The fashion category and products such as clothing, footwear and fashion accessories have achieved the best results. Data from Shopper’s Mind 2021 survey show that this category has a 43% share of online shopping (up 7%). Fashion is followed by electronics with a share of 18% (down 4%). With a 12% share, in third place are products for beauty and health, and in fourth place products for home and garden with only 1% less (11%). Despite that, the basket of home and garden products records the highest value of the average purchase, a total of 1,242 KN. For comparison, the average value of the basket is 627 KN. Its average value in all categories has increased by 39 KN in the last 12 months.

Are we afraid to pay by card?

The data from the mentioned survey also showed that when buying online, most citizens prefer to pay by card (51%), but the share of those who choose cash on delivery is still very high (40%). The assumption is that there is still a fear of data theft and that even more education is needed to make citizens feel safer while shopping online. According to another survey by eCommerce Croatia, data security is extremely important for more than 94% of online shoppers, which was recognized by 75% of online retailers who participated in the same survey. Simple and fast, but above all safe shopping is what will continue to be one of the key factors for the growth of not only the intensity of the purchase and the value of the shopping cart, but also the number of online shoppers.