Today’s retail environment is more complex than ever, given the rise of ecommerce and a rediscovery of the age-old truth that “the customer is king.” As retailers across the globe struggle with demands for both personalization and convenience, balanced with consumer skepticism on data privacy, leading transport management platform oTMS and JDA Software, Inc., explored consumer trends in key markets in its 2018 China Consumer Survey, released in October 2018.

Shopping in-store remains the most popular experience globally (preferred by 38 percent), although online options were preferred in some of the surveyed countries. In China, over sixty-one percent of respondents say they like online shopping best. Regarding in-store shopping, Chinese respondents said that having variety of products in-store is the most important aspect of their shopping experience (25 percent), followed closely by having a unique brand experience, along with a personalized service.

With high smartphone ownership rates across many of the nations surveyed, it’s not surprising that online channels are the first stop on most shoppers’ journeys, no matter how or where they finally make a purchase. This year’s survey found that shoppers in China start searching online for clothes (29 percent), home goods (26 percent) and electronics (35 percent). Younger consumers (ages 18 to 34) said they’re more likely than average to begin their shopping journeys with recommendations from friends or family.

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