FedEx research shows e-commerce set to grow for SMEs

The e-commerce boom is set to continue for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), according to the latest e-commerce trends research commissioned by FedEx Express.

The What’s Next in E-Commerce survey polled SMEs and consumers in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region (AMEA) in July 2022 to explore the continuing evolution of e-commerce and identify the trends that could fuel future growth.

The online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive across 11 markets, including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Around 300 small and medium businesses with less than 250 employees engaged in e-commerce were polled in each market alongside 500 consumers (1,000 in India) over the age of 18.

The survey, said FedEx, reveals that consumers are looking for innovations in personalization, “shoppertainment” and payment options that enhance their experience and, at the same time, make it easier to discover new brands and make purchasing convenient.

And with plenty of shopping festivals already in the calendar, consumers are looking for even more seasonal offers. Taken together, the research shows there is plenty of fertile ground for e-tailers to experiment with new approaches that can help build their customer base.

Said Kawal Preet, president of the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) at FedEx Express: “COVID has accelerated our lifestyles to a pivot point where shopping online has been normalized across all demographics, and there’s no going back. With that, e-commerce is set to take a growing proportion of total consumer spend.

“With more people shopping online consumer preferences are becoming increasingly sophisticated. As SMEs and e-merchants evolve their online sales platforms, our research uncovers opportunities for businesses to capitalize on what consumers want. Customer experience is the driving force behind how e-tailers engage with their customers and how we are innovating our shipping solutions.

“With an expanded portfolio specially developed for e-commerce businesses, FedEx is well positioned to support the changing expectations of consumers and continuation of e-commerce growth.”

Asia Pacific which includes the world’s biggest e-commerce markets like India, Mainland China, Japan, and Korea, will see revenue from e-commerce sales reach $2.09trn this year as 57% of the region’s population shops online.

Both SMEs and consumers are maturing in their use of e-commerce and both groups agree that the pandemic-driven utilization of e-commerce is here to stay.

Eight in ten SMEs believe e-commerce will become more important in their business in the next three years and nine in ten believe they are well prepared for the challenge.

Some 80% of consumers reported that e-commerce had taken a greater share of their total purchases over the past three years while 71% see further increases ahead.

SMEs in India, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam were among the most optimistic about their future e-commerce growth in the next three years, a sentiment shared by consumers in these same markets.

E-commerce currently represents less than 6% of total retail sales in each of these markets. SMEs and consumers in Japan and South Korea see the least potential for significant future growth.

The survey data reveals a significant 10% gap between how SMEs rate their own e-commerce customer experience and how consumers view it.

The biggest gaps appeared in having an efficient returns service (13%) and access to customer support (11%).

Deliveries taking too long is the number one pain consumer point (53%) followed by handling returns (42%). Consumers typically expect delivery within three days to one week, but clearly there is a desire for delivery to be at least more reliable if not faster.

While the future looks bright, 65% of e-tailers reported they were struggling to handle the growing number of orders they were receiving. Amid surging demand talent and recruitment has proven challenging for SMEs.