Many online retailers believe that customers have recognized the benefits of online shopping and will continue to use this channel to make purchases. “It is surprising that the removal of the corona measures only had a slight impact on online order volumes,” comments Darius Zumstein, who oversaw the study as Head of the E-Commerce Lab at the ZHAW School of Management and Law.

However, online retail is still facing challenges in light of current events. For example, one in four online retailers complains about long delivery times or delays, and one in five mentions raw material shortages or availability problems. According to many traders, the Far East, and overseas freight, particularly, are causing difficulties due to blocked ports or a lack of shipping containers. At the same time, Ukrainian raw material producers and suppliers cannot fulfill orders because of the ongoing geopolitical situation. “Food distributors have reported that raw materials are sometimes unavailable, so they can no longer produce certain products,” says Zumstein.

This study examined various success factors in online retailing for the first time. Product quality emerged as the most decisive success factor for three out of four online retailers, followed by exclusivity, which is important for more than half of those interviewed. Further drivers of success are high levels of customer orientation, reliable availability, and a broad product range. “What is surprising is that price, sustainability, and the regionality of products are less significant from the online retailers’ perspective,” adds Zumstein. “The frequently discussed delivery and returns conditions, as well as same-day delivery, are also far less critical to success than we expected.” For one-third of respondents, the return rate is below one percent of goods ordered. Only in the clothing and sports goods sectors is the rate typically high – often exceeding 20 percent.