MADRID, 16 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Six out of 10 consumers have shown their preference to make their purchases ‘online’ and return the products in store, since they seek greater flexibility and options in their purchases, according to data from the Adyen Report on Retail 2022.

Specifically, the report shows that the health alert has reconfigured the profile of the current average consumer and has caused profound changes in their way of understanding purchases. Thus, while last year 70% preferred to go to physical stores, this year, almost four out of 10 consumers agree or strongly agree that they prefer to buy in a physical store.

The study makes visible the digitization and expansion plans of the ‘retailers’ in Spain, 34% of which already have a formal digitization strategy, along with 27% that are in the planning phase, while 6% have currently unified physical and digital channels, which brings the number of ‘retailers’ that prioritize this strategy to 67%, compared to 44% the previous year.

“It is interesting to observe the changes in purchasing habits and how necessary a financial platform with the necessary flexibility is to carry out a real transformation”, has assured Adyen’s Country Manager in Spain and Portugal, Juan José Llorente.

According to his analysis, the innovation of Spanish ‘retailers’ is mainly applied to logistics (50%), stock management (44%), marketing and social networks (44%) and customer service (42%). %), main business areas where technology can make a difference.

In 2022, eight* out of ten Spanish companies already provide new digital channels for the participation of their customers. This, added to the fact that almost 90% of those surveyed consider the journey of their customers through multiple channels as one of the main initiatives to apply in their company, are just a few examples of how the adaptation process is in a process more mature than last year and immersed in the path towards the development of unified trade.

The report analyzes the distribution of sales of Spanish ‘retailers’ by channel. Thus, 40% of these sales are currently made in a physical store, followed by the web with 32%. However, those carried out through apps account for 16% and those that take place through social networks stand at 12%.

When analyzing the data by sector, it is revealed that the ‘retailers’ dedicated to the fashion sector, the apps channel 18% of their sales, data that rises to 22% in the luxury sector. For its part, in beauty the store represents 44% of sales, followed by the web with 24%, apps with 17% and social networks with 14%.

The report shows that ‘retailers’ want to take advantage of sales opportunities through new social channels. Thus, those who allocate the greatest investment are those dedicated to the sale of fast food (96%), and in second place, those belonging to the ‘hospitality’, leisure and free time sector (93%).