“Lack of trust” is a significant barrier for online customers placing cross-border orders

Although more than half of e-commerce shoppers in the US and UK have purchased a product online in another country, 92% of them say they are concerned about a number of issues associated with shopping abroad.

In a survey of 2,000 consumers in the US and UK conducted by e-commerce platform Nosto, 52% said they had bought something online from a seller in another country in the last 12 months. Just over 40% said they did so to get lower prices, and 33% said they were looking for unique or unusual products.

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That said, online consumers also expressed several concerns about e-commerce orders abroad – 50% said they were worried about the possibility of returning products, 47% were worried about low-quality products, 46% were worried about products that may turn out to be fake, and 42% are concerned that orders will either not arrive on time or will not be delivered at all.

“Lack of trust remains a significant barrier,” said Nosto CEO Matthäus Bognar, adding that e-commerce retailers should strive for “absolute transparency” on all aspects of products, including the delivery/return process, local tax and fee details and prices quoted in the consumer’s national currency.

When it comes to other ways to gain consumer trust, 65% said they would prefer to have a customer service phone number on a retailer’s website, and 64% said they feel more comfortable seeing positive reviews from other customers in their country.