UK and US shoppers happy to buy from abroad due to lower prices

Years ago it was thought that fashion could be a tough sell online given issues with returning items, sizing, counterfeits and more. That may not have turned out to be the case, but many still believe those same issues will dent appetites for buying fashion from abroad.

However, a new study from commerce experience platform Nosto shows that of those consumers in the UK and US who shop across borders, as many as 70% say they’re likely to buy fashion from outside their home country.

The potential issues cited above remain a concern for those consumers (more of that later), but overall they’re embracing cross-border fashion shopping.

Why are they so keen? Lower prices is the top answer at 41%, with a desire for unique or unusual items (33%) also being a key trigger.

A chunky 31% are after products they can’t buy in their home country and the same number want to take advantage of a special discount or offer.

Meanwhile, 23% of those who’d considered cross-border purchases are motivated by products they’ve seen on social media. In fact, for Gen Z the main reason is seeing products mentioned on social media (33%). 

Finally, 16% think the products they’d buy from abroad are better quality.

In the survey of 2,000 consumers, 53% also said that rising prices at home mean they’re more likely to look for affordable purchases elsewhere. 

But a negative aspect of this willingness to embrace cross-border shopping is that 29% would consider buying fake brands from abroad if they were cheaper, rising to 45% for Gen Z.

As mentioned, fashion is a big purchase category at 70%, but 57% also said they’d buy sports goods and hobby products while 55% would buy health and beauty items.

In terms of what they’ve actually done rather than what they might do shopping-wise, 52% of online shoppers said they’d bought at least one item from an e-commerce store in another country in the last 12 months. 

China strength, lack of trust

As far as the location of the international e-stores they’re buying from goes, the US and UK promotional push by Chinese e-commerce marketplaces is driving interest. Some 54% of all consumers surveyed agreed that they’d heard of online marketplaces such as Temu and AliExpress and would consider ordering from them if they had products they were interested in.

That said, trust in international e-commerce stores is lower than for those stores within the shoppers’ home countries, and Nosto said that “localised social proof is key to generating trust for cross-border purchases”.

Some 64% of consumers are likely to trust brands more if they see positive on-site reviews from other customers in their country and 55% if they see on-site user-generated product photos from peers in their home country who’ve made purchases.

But many consumers are still cautious about buying internationally. In fact, as many as 92% admit to having concerns about making such purchases. Some 60% trust international e-commerce stores less than those at home and 71% are less likely to give them a second chance following a poor purchase experience compared to domestic stores.

Concerns also include 50% worrying about not being able to return items easily, 47% citing quality concerns, 46% being worried the items might be fake, 42% fretting about late delivery or non-delivery and 39% being worried that their payments will be insecure.

Interestingly, suspiciously low prices are also a turn-off for 44% of consumers, despite low prices being a key reason for shopping internationally.