Mumbai: A whopping 95 per cent of Indian consumers demand eco-friendly packaging and 69 per cent want to see e-commerce organisations commit to sustainable practices across the value chain, according to the latest study by Havas Group decoding the ‘future of e-commerce.’ 68 per cent of consumers expect their e-commerce shopping experience to be tailored through personalisation and AI. An over-arching theme that is evident through the research is that the e-commerce industry still has a long way to go to address the gap in consumer expectations.

Havas Group announced the launch of its prosumer report through structural research. The report is a global perspective on the future of e-commerce that captures information and insights on the sector, done through the network's proprietary research tool. Drawing on responses from 3,000 consumers from Brazil, China, France, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the survey examines the upcoming trends in the e-commerce experience. 

The prosumer report throws light on some interesting India-specific trends that will go a long way in making the industry shine. Contrary to popular euphemism, consumers are not averse to data sharing, provided there is transparency regarding what data is being collected. In this context, 97 per cent of the prosumers rate privacy as the key attribute, and 83 per cent are ready to boycott brands that do not have a transparent data collection policy. 

Post-pandemic, the desire to replicate in-store/mall experiences has led prosumers to seek community shopping experiences from the e-commerce industry. In this context, the study saw a 66 per cent spike in demand for services such as the ability to shop on social media and 68 per cent rise in the ability to interact with fellow shoppers, respectively.

The Covid-19 led economic slowdown has been catastrophic for most sectors, barring a few. The e-commerce industry belongs to the latter. The pandemic and its aftereffects led to a complete transformation and a massive surge in the e-commerce industry. If there is one aspect that the younger generation demands, it is a better consumer experience despite acknowledging the convenience that e-commerce has to offer. 

“Prosumer is Havas Group’s global report that is released 3 to 4 times every year, each one covering a specific topic. It is one of the longest-running thought leadership properties of Havas Group that has become instrumental in predicting emerging trends in consumer behaviour,” Havas Group India CMO Pritha Dasgupta said.

She further added, “Over the last two years, digital adoption has been extremely fast and has become a way of life. If we specifically look at the e-commerce sector, it has become a breeding ground of innovation and in the last two years every leading company in this sector has grown aggressively. Our latest Prosumer Report gives a clear direction to the industry of where this e-commerce sector is headed, and also identifies trends of the sector.”  

Prosumers are the leading-edge 15-20 per cent of consumers, who are first to the market (usually 6-18 months ahead of the mainstream), forward-thinking, influential, proactive and socially and/or environmentally conscious. It is this key section of consumers that our research studies. 

Throughout the pandemic, e-commerce has clearly established itself as the new retail norm as more than eight in 10 prosumers revealed that they prefer the online shopping experience over the traditional format of in-store purchasing. However, one out of three respondents claimed that their e-commerce experiences are quite boring. Havas Group’s Prosumer report deep dived into the e-commerce industry and came up with a few ways to upgrade the e-commerce experience by: 

Focusing on new rules of e-commerce including free shipping & returns, seamless & fast delivery, customer ratings, loyalty discounts, and purchase recommendations. 

Having a purpose beyond clicks: e-commerce must be about more than just access, it is about curating products that are good for society. 

Being on the right side of data history as privacy is gaining momentum, so data education should be mandatory. As e-commerce is becoming more human and is moving to social, making the experience more community-driven will bring results. 

The Havas Group prosumer report makes it evidently clear that e-commerce is no longer just about business transactions; it’s about customer empowerment and with the e-commerce market touching $84 billion in July, this is an industry one just can’t ignore.