Emerchantpay report states UK consumers favour European retailers

By Joy Dumasia

Emerchantpay publishes the second and third instalments of its New World, One Market Report, which examines consumer behaviour post-pandemic. The latest two chapters reveal stark differences in attitudes to the factors influencing a purchase decision, splits across UK locations and generational groups.

The survey of 2,000 British consumers showed that despite the disruption surrounding Brexit, 55% are likely to buy from Western Europe and 45% likely to buy from Northern Europe when choosing where to buy from. In addition, supporting local retail only mattered to 14% of shoppers when asked about the most important factors influencing purchasing decisions.

Respondents from Greater London were consistently more likely to buy from countries other than the UK. The majority of Londoners said they were likely to buy from Western Europe if given the option (63%), and more than half (56%) said they would buy from North America. They were also most likely among those we surveyed to believe from Russia (21%), Eastern Asia (47%), Southern Asia (34%), South America (26%), Africa (28%) and the Middle East (27%).

Angus Burrell, SVP Retail, emerchantpay, said: “The rise of eCommerce has undoubtedly changed the way we buy, and it’s interesting to see that UK consumers continue to look beyond geographic boundaries despite Brexit or the pandemic. When it comes to the things that influence where we buy or how much we spend, like reviews or delivery charges, there are obvious differences between generational groups, and it’s up to retailers to interpret these findings to understand their buyers. One thing is certain: retailers are under even greater pressure to ensure that the customer experience is as smooth and efficient as possible across all channels, wherever and however their customers want to buy.”

Recently, IBS Intelligence reported that emerchantpay announced the launch of its issuing solution across Europe. The service enables businesses to create, manage, and distribute virtual and physical payment cards to their customers, offering flexibility and control over card transactions.