Shopping in the metaverse: Research says 52% of Aussie consumers would give it a try

Australian shoppers are more willing to shop in the metaverse compared to their counterparts in US and parts of Europe, according to research released this week by BigCommerce.

More than half of the Australian consumers included in the study (52%) said they would be willing to try metaverse shopping, while those in France were the least interested (35%).

Overall, BigCommerce’s Global Consumer Report found 46% of consumers surveyed across Australia, the US, UK, Italy and France are willing to shop in the metaverse, and of those, 51% are interested in buying both virtual and physical goods.

The report surveyed 4222 consumers, 527 of which were Australia, across a range of future and emerging retail trends.

More than half of the consumers surveyed (55%) admitted they shop online at least once a week if not more.

Fashion and apparel was the most popular category for online shoppers according to the report, with 80% of surveyed consumers digging deep into their pockets to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Electronics came in second at 56%, while entertainment and media were a close third at 55%.

When it comes to discounts, the report found consumers prefer free shipping above anything else, while 84% of consumers rated sustainability as important when making a purchasing decision.

Consumers were also asked which payment methods they’ve used when shopping online, with 16% stating they have used buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. Of those who have used BNPL, the majority were in the US, UK and Australia.

Assisting consumers to fit purchases into their budget was revealed as a primary reason for choosing BNPL, with 34% of those who’ve used BNPL more likely to complete a purchase if that payment method was an option, while 49% confirmed they would find it easier to complete a purchase if BNPL was an option.

Further statistics have revealed that people are shopping on Google more than 1 billion times a day. 

BigCommerce chief marketing officer Lisa Eggerton said the Global Consumer Report showed just how much technology is changing the way consumers shop and “providing new and better ways for brands to engage with their customers”.

“The future of commerce is here, and brands have a vibrant opportunity for remarkable growth,” she said.

“Our aim in sharing data from the Global Consumer Report is to help brands across these regions better understand consumer buying behaviours. Brands must put consumers at the heart of everything they do or risk losing market share.”

The report also mentioned honesty and transparency are the brand values consumers look for most, but providing fair wages and benefits to employees was a close second.