If 2020 marked a real boom in online shopping, the first months of 2021 and the following years seem to give us confirmation that the pandemic and the consequent store closures have catalysed a further global boost in the digital commerce sector destined to stay in time.
In Q1 2022, global digital commerce grew 58% year-on-year, well above pre-COVID levels (just think, Q1 2020 growth rate was 17%). The first quarter of 2023, the one closest to us and still in progress, shows a +6% growth in digital commerce for Italy.
Evidence of this is the data from the Salesforce Shopping Index, the survey that detects the real trend of online purchases by analysing the data emerging from the Commerce Cloud Salesforce platform, one of the most used worldwide.
What is Salesforce?
Salesforce, as we all already know, is an advanced platform for managing all sales, service, marketing and customer analysis activities. Among the available resources, Salesforce also offers a variety of reports and market research on consumer trends in different industries and countries.
How does it work?
Among the main features that Salesforce, we can mention:
- Data Analysis: Salesforce allows you to collect and analyse the real data of over 1 billion consumers, such as purchasing behaviour and browsing preferences by trend and by device type. This allows you to better understand your customers and create more targeted and personalized marketing campaigns.
- Sales Management: Salesforce helps you manage the sales process, from lead generation to closing sales. This allows for improved collaboration between the marketing team and the sales team, improving the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
An interesting feature of the Salesforce product is also the Salesforce Shopping Index, an annual report that provides a detailed overview of e-commerce trends in about 30 countries around the world, analysing data from over a billion visitors and 1.4 billion orders performed on over 2,000 eCommerce websites. The report provides valuable insights into consumer behaviour, market trends and opportunities for marketing and e-commerce professionals.
The Salesforce Shopping Index analyses different aspects of e-commerce, such as conversion rate, average order value, cart abandonment rate, user traffic breakdown by device, and more. In addition, the report offers detailed information on specific sectors, such as Food & Beverage, travel, beauty and electronics.
For example, analysing the first quarter of the year 2023, and the Food & Beverage sector in Italy, we observe that:
- the average conversion rate is 4.5%;
- Average Order Value (AOV) is $65;
- cart abandonment averages around 60%;
- and the major % of traffic and orders are divided between mobile tar >50% and Computer ~40%
Based on the data mentioned above, it can be said that the Salesforce Shopping Index is a very important resource for marketing and eCommerce professionals looking to understand market trends and consumer preferences globally. Thanks to its detailed analysis and its global perspective, the report offers valuable information to help marketers create more effective marketing campaigns adapted to the needs of consumers.
Salesforce Shopping Index Best Practices and Strengths.
Here are some best practices for using the Salesforce Shopping Index:
- Identify business opportunities: The Salesforce Shopping Index provides valuable information on specific industries, such as fashion, travel, beauty and electronics. It is important to use this information to identify business opportunities and to tailor your marketing strategies based on consumer needs.
- Create targeted marketing campaigns: The Salesforce Shopping Index provides insights into consumer behaviours, such as mobile preferences and preferred payment methods. It is important to use this information to create targeted and personalized marketing campaigns, improving the effectiveness of your marketing activities.
- Tracking key metrics: It's important to track key metrics, such as conversion rate and average order value, to understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and identify areas where you can improve.
- Constantly Updated: The Salesforce Shopping Index is updated annually, so it's important to use the latest information to adapt your marketing strategies to market trends.
Do you want to find out more information on the world of eCommerce and the developments planned for 2023?
Come and visit us on May 17-18 in Milan at the Netcomm eCommerce Forum and you will touch all the news and market trends in the company of E-Business Consulting, a leading marketing agency active since 2003.
