Barriers to clicking cross-border - Study on consumers & cross border e-commerce

03 December 2015
by anec -- last modified 03 December 2015

Only 10% of EU consumers regularly shop from internet retailers in other EU countries, compared with 63% from websites in their home countries, according to a new ANEC survey of more than 4.000 consumers in 22 EU countries. The study reveals that, despite European Commission policies to encourage e-commerce cross-border, consumers still face notable barriers to reaping the benefits of a digital single market.

‘European cross-border online shopping - Learning from consumer experiences’, published today, looks at the online shopping habits of EU consumers and identifies key problems met by those who buy from internet retailers in other EU countries.

Two-thirds of online shoppers surveyed have bought cross-border, with 15% finding a problem. Of these, 27% reported late deliveries and 22% said their orders never arrived. Respondents also reported problems when trying to place orders, such as unfair price differences, unclear or misleading information, and retailers refusing to sell or deliver to the address of the shopper.

The study reveals EU consumers lack confidence about their rights when shopping cross-border, and satisfaction with complaints resolution is low. These two factors impede consumers from achieving positive outcomes, leaving them with negative views of online shopping cross-border and discouraging them from buying online in the future.

ANEC Secretary-General, Stephen Russell, commented, “Our new study shows both consumers and retailers need to achieve a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities if cross-border e-commerce is to reach its full potential. We think European and international standards need to play an essential role in supporting legislation, through offering guidance on good practice in areas such as complaints handling, postal services, online review sites and trust schemes”.

ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation, defending consumer interests in the processes of technical standardisation and conformity assessment, as well as related legislation and public policies.

European association for the coordination of consumer representation in standardisation (ANEC)