Convenience and automation in the home are growing in tandem with e-commerce, a new monthly report from PYMTS found.
The report, entitled The ConnectedEconomy Monthly Report: The Rise Of The Smart Home, surveyed 2,696 U.S. consumers and found 37% of Americans engaged in online transactional activities in May. That’s up from November 2021’s 32.6%. The monthly percentage has ranged between November’s low to a high of 37.6% in April.
“The most common types of e-commerce purchases consumers made every day in May were also the easiest to make and the most convenient to acquire,” the report noted, citing 17% of consumers that buy food or groceries online and 21% that transact online or through an app with their financial institution.
Who makes daily purchases?
The research found the average consumer engages in at least two transactions per day, with 7.7% buying goods every day on a digital marketplace such as Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, Etsy or Overstock.com. The research also found 8.6% purchased items online for curbside or in-store pickup on a daily basis.
Interestingly, the survey found the person most likely to make a daily transaction fell into one of two categories: either a consumer making more than $100,000 in annual income (9.8%) or those that live paycheck-to-paycheck and struggle to pay their bills (12.9%). Another 6.2% of those that live paycheck-to-paycheck — but say they are doing so comfortably —also transact online daily.
Overall shopping trends
Overall, 64.4% purchased from an online marketplace at least once during the month. A total of 53.2% bought an item online to be delivered to their home, and 34% ordered online for pickup in-store or curbside or for same-day delivery.
“For many e-commerce shoppers, waiting two or more days to receive their purchases is no longer good enough; many expect to acquire their purchases the same day they are purchased,” the report noted. “Our research shows that in May, 12% of U.S. consumers made e-commerce purchases online to either be picked up in-store or curbside or delivered the same day. That equates to an estimated 30 million curbside and in-store pickup shoppers.”
Millennials are most likely to order online for curbside pickup (62%), pickup in store (59%) or same-day home delivery (55%). In all, millennials account for 54% of same-day shoppers in the U.S.
Online shopping drives smart home devices
As online shopping has increased, so too has consumer comfort with smart-home devices. The PYMTS survey found that engagement with smart home devices increased to 32% of consumers in May, meaning an estimated 83 million Americans now use a smart device, such as a home security system, automated climate controls, or in-home voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Home. In fact, 26% of those using an in-home assistant utilize it for making e-commerce purchases.
“Consumers’ mounting expectations for convenience in the retail sector is driving a similar demand for convenience in every part of their lives — even in their homes,” the report noted. “The share of consumers using smart home devices and other digital home applications is higher than it has been since November 2021, and that upward trend shows no sign of waning.”
Again, millennials are the big drivers in these devices.
“Fifty-two percent of millennials use automated devices such as automated vacuums and pool cleaning devices to do their chores, 55% use smart home devices to manage their climate controls and 50% own automated utility systems,” the report said.
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